She who controls the Wind
by Newtpaw
Summary: Gustpaw is a normal WindClan cat, no cat ever assumes otherwise. They don't know she can control the wind. But how did she obtain this ability and why do all these ridiculous things keep happening to her? You can read on and find out. You know, if you want.
1. Allegiances

**Meh. I'm lazy, so I'm doing the WindClan Allegiances only for now... Funny I'm using WindClan again, last time I used it under my own name (PoppyClan) hehe... more about the basis of this story in the Prologue.**

**Allegiances**

**WindClan**

Leader: **Elmstar: **Silver tabby she-cat with Light Blue eyes.

Deputy: **Robinwing: **Light brown Tom with gingery splotches and Amber eyes.

Medicine Cat: **Honeyblossom: **Golden-coloured She-cat with paler flecks and green eyes.

Warriors:

**Stormwhisker: **Grey tabby Tom with grey-blue eyes.

**Silverlark: **Pretty white She-cat with silver stripes and light blue eyes.

_Apprentice: Meadowpaw_

**Timberfur: **Woody-brown Tom with amber eyes.

**Embercloud: **Ginger She-cat with a white tail-tip and green eyes.

**Shadepool: **Black tom with a white paw and amber eyes.

_Apprentice: Ivypaw_

**Dawnsong: **Cream-coloured She-cat with green eyes.

**Jaggedstep: **Muscular dark brown tom with amber eyes. He walks with a slight limp.

_Apprentice: Dustpaw._

Queens

**Dapplefeather: **Slender calico Queen with green eyes.

**Kits: **Gustkit, Cinderkit, Cloudkit.

Apprentices

**Meadowpaw: **Light brown she-cat with bright green eyes.

**Ivypaw: **Ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes.

**Dustpaw: **Grey Tom with lighter flecks and blue eyes.

Elders

**Harefoot: **Light brown Tom with long legs and Amber eyes.

**Okay, so I'm lazy. I don't really know how much I'm going to use the Other Clans at this point, so we'll have to see whether I have to make the effort of making 3 more Clans...**


	2. Prologue

**Yay! New story I might not finish for years! Okay, so here's the Plan, Basically, Plain Old Warriors FanFiction is Boring. Yawn. Scan down the list and you see the same thing. Cat, Prophecy, what is this Cat lives blah blah. All the actual Stories and how they are written are mostly excellent, but it is the Plot which bores my mind. It's always the same thing. SO here is my attempt at Spicing up my Warriors FanFiction: Element Bending! Yay for Elements! I have a recent obsession with Element Bending-animals... So here's the Prologue for everyone... this A/N has gone on too long...**

**Prologue**

"Stormwhisker! Come inside and help me!" Came an impatient yowl from inside the abandoned badger den. A growl of answer came from the grey tabby tom that was fighting against the vicious wind.

"Don't you think," panted the tom, Stormwhisker, his words being swallowed by the wind, "I would be in there already... if I could?" The tom grumbled. He bunched his hunches up and powered forward, pushing through the wind and hurtling into the den, collapsing in a heap by the feet of an unimpressed golden she-cat. She narrowed her eyes and sighed.

"What took you so long?" She asked irritably before turning back to the calico queen that lay on the moss-littered floor panting with her eyes squeezed shut with effort and concentration.

"Can't you hear the wind?" Snapped Stormwhisker, flicking his tail at the she-cat's accusation. "I was lucky to get in here without being blown into a tree, thank you Honeyblossom." Her sweet-sounding name was deceiving; the Medicine Cat had a sharp tongue and a menacing stare. Honeyblossom scoffed, rolling her eyes at the tom. "There aren't many trees on the Moors, Stormwhisker, and there are certainly none near our Camp. Come on, Dapplefeather, keep pushing!" She sneered before giving all her attention to the birthing Queen. Stormwhisker trotted over to sit beside his mate's head, licking her ear comfortingly, ignoring the bitter look form Honeyblossom.

"Congratulations, Dapplefeather! You gave birth to three healthy Kits!" Honeyblossom announced, a her eyes lighting up slightly, breaking her usual emotionless glare. She looked down at the three kits that were now suckling. One was a grey tabby she-cat, another was a grey Tom with white splotches, and the last Kit was a pretty calico She-cat like her mother. Stormwhisker dipped his head to Honeyblossom in Thanks and then licked the top of Dapplewhisker's head in pride. The Medicine Cat nodded back curtly before beginning to leave.

"They are all so beautiful," he cooed, "One of them looks just like you! What shall we name them?" The tired Queen gave a weary mutter of 'I don't know' before closing her eyes and instantly falling asleep. Stormwhisker gave a small sigh before settling down next to her. He looked up at the entrance to see Honeyblossom standing there, dripping wet. She trudged back into the Hollow, her expression grim.

"It is pouring with rain out there. The Warriors are trying to salvage the Fresh-Kill pile. I was only out there for a short period but I'm already soaked." She grumbled, laying down a few tail-lengths away, water dripping off her whiskers, her fur plastered to her body. "And the wind's worse than ever. I was practically blown off my paws. I do hope this doesn't continue. I don't really want to be sleeping with you pair of lovers." She muttered, half to herself. Stormwhisker shook his head in amusment before turning back to his mate and kits, trying to think of names. Honeyblossom watched the den entrance, already bored. She tried to lick some of the water of her fur, but she was so wet it made no difference. She yawned. Suddenly her eyes hazed over and a voice echoed in her ears.

"_A gust of Wind shall pass over the Lake and its Moors,_

_To put its powers in a chosen cat's paws. _

_A cat that will always seem so normal, _

_Is truly holding a dangerous secret_

_That could kill your Clan or save it."_

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. This Prophecy made no sense at all. What power? A gust of wind? She began to wonder if it was just her imagination; she could usually get a faint idea of what a Prophecy was implying. This made no sense whatsoever. She pricked her ears when she heard the soft voice of Dapplefeather, who had woken up after her short nap.

"Gustkit. We'll call the calico one Gustkit." She murmured. Honeyblossom didn't hear the rest. Her eyes were wide and she was staring at the tiny kit. _I'll keep a close eye on her..._ she thought.

"And the grey she-cat Cinderkit. And the grey and white tom... Cloudkit." Stormwhisker finished, and the two purred in pride. At this point the Medicine Cat looked away lost in thought. She was more worried than she'd ever been about a Prophecy.

**It's quite short I know. I am determined to give much longer Chapters this time. The Chapters in Raging Blizzard were pathetically short! Well, please Review etc. I really do appreciate them and I promise to do my best to reply :).**


	3. Innocence

**Well, clearly I have too much free time, here's Chapter 1 already! Seriously people, review! I'll happily review your stories if you do... :)**

**Innocence**

"...When the Battle came, Redwhisker fought bravely. He saw Whisperstar being cornered by leader herself: Thistlestar. He intervened and fought against her with all his might. At the end, they both lay dead. Thistlestar had lost her last life and Redwhisker only ever had one. Whisperstar mourned for him with great sadness, and assure that he was remembered throughout the ages: The bitter Loner who came to sacrifice himself for this Clan." The elder, Harefoot, finished, his eyes lighting up, imagining the Old Tale himself.

"Wow!" Squealed Cinderkit in excitement, her eyes sparkling. "I want to be like Redwhisker!" She leapt onto her brother, Cloudkit, and pawed at his head.

"Hey!" Snorted Cloudkit, fighting her flailing paws, "you can't be Redwhisker! You're a she-cat! I'm Redwhisker, and you're the evil Thistlestar!" he announced, hauling her off and jumping on top of her. The two kits tumbled around, arguing who was who whilst they did.

"Actually I'm Redwhisker! I'm going to save Whisperstar!" Gustkit yowled. She charged at Cinderkit and knocked her away from Cloudkit, then stood over her and batted at her muzzle.

"No! I will take over the forest!" Cinderkit growled playfully and rolled out from under her sister's paws. She bounded over to a small pile of stones in the corner and scrambled up them quickly, showing great agility for a kit. Gustkit let out a mew of surprise and hurried over to the stones and tried to climb up after her sister, but slipped back down. Cloudkit had got up and he too, tried and failed to get up.

"You cannot get me now! I will rule you all!" She exclaimed in joy, her eyes wide and ears alert. Gustkit shook her head and let out a mew of determination, before backing away to gain a run-up, then charging at the pile of stones. Her siblings watched in amazement as she jumped up, landing next to her sister. She lifted her head and stood tall in pride.

"I will never let you! I am the great Redwhisker!" She yowled and pinned her sister down. "Do you give in?" Cinderkit struggled but eventually let out a sigh and nodded.

"Fine. You win this time Gustkit." She giggled a little. Gustkit let her get up and hopped down from the stones. Cinderkit clambered down after her.

"Wow, Gustkit, you can jump really high!" mewed Cloudkit, padding up to his sisters, "and Cinderkit, you can climb so fast!" he praised, then looked down at the ground, feeling discouraged. "I don't have any special talents." He murmured. Cinderkit cuffed his ear softly.

"Sure you do! I bet you can run really fast!" She encouraged her brother, hopping up, "Let's have a race to prove it! Come on Gustkit!" She called. The three kits lined up next to each other by the Den entrance.

"Race to the entrance to the Medicine Den, okay?" Explained Gustkit, lowering herself closer to the ground. The other two kits nodded in agreement.

"Ready... Steady... GO!" Exclaimed Cinderkit, and the three rushed forward, their short kit legs carrying them as fast as they could. Cloudkit was neck-a-neck with Cinderkit, with Gustkit just behind them. She growled slightly, panting already. She took a big breath out, accidentally sneezing at the same time. She was directly behind Cloudkit, who suddenly powered forward, coming to skidding halt outside the Medicine Den, a few paw-steps before Cinderkit and Gustkit. They hopped around him in congratulations.

"See? I told you that you were the fastest!" Cinderkit giggled, nudging her brother. He nodded; his eyes alight with pride, even with such a small achievement. Gustkit licked his ear to say 'well done'. They started to scurry back to the Nursery, but bumped into a set of large paws. It was Honeyblossom, on her way to her Den.

"Play inside your Den!" She snapped, irritable as always. She glared at all three, Gustkit particularly. "I don't want to be falling over you." She growled as she stalked past them, throwing a last glance at Gustkit before pushing through the greenery concealing her Den.

"StarClan knows why her parents gave her the name 'Honey'." Muttered Cloudkit, continuing to trot back the Den. "She's as cold as stone." The other two agreed, and they hurried back to the Nursery, afraid to bump into another scary older cat.

"Where have you been? Where I came to get you from the Elder's Den, you weren't there!" Scolded Dapplefeather when they arrived back in the Nursery. She stood over them, her warm green eyes full of worry. "Come on now, it's getting late. You should really go to sleep. You'll be Apprentice's in a Moons time, and you'll have less time to sleep then. You should appreciate it now." The Kits nodded obediently and she ushered them to snuggle up next to her. She watched the entrance as waited for her Kits to fall asleep. She looked down at her Kits, the worry still in her eyes.

_The weather is turning cold far quicker than I expected. I do hope all my Kits survive. _She thought, and wrapped her tail around her now sleeping Kits. She lay her head down and was soon drifting to sleep too.

**Meh. It's fairly short. I just wanted a cute little chapter about them as Kits. :3 So anyways, review and get an adorable trio of Kit plushies: Gustkit, Cloudkit and Cinderkit. Yay!**

**Gustkit: I've decided: My name is silly-sounding.**

**Me: I know. It was the only name to do with wind that wasn't weird I could think of! Now sit down and look cute.**

**Now R&R, because I know you want to!**


	4. Scared of fire

Scared of Fire

"After making Meadowbreeze, Ivystorm and Dustfang full Warriors, I am delighted to announce three new Apprentices." Proclaimed Elmstar, her silver fur ruffling from the light breeze. She smiled softly down at the three young cats, a wise touch forever in her blue eyes.

"Gustkit, Cinderkit and Cloudkit have reached their sixth Moon. They will now become Apprentices." The leader continued. Gustkit shuffled her paws nervously.

"Embercloud, you will mentor Gustpaw." Gustkit gulped, hearing these words. Embercloud was the one of the rudest and meanest cats in the whole Clan! Embercloud stepped forward, and Gustpaw touched noses with her. The ginger she-cat gave her a sly glance before stepping back into the crowd.

"Timberfur, you will mentor Cloudpaw." Elmstar continued. Timberfur was wise and strong. Cloudpaw was lucky. The two touched noses, and stepped back to make way for Cinderkit.

"Dawnsong, you will mentor Cinderpaw." Gustpaw almost let out a growl of annoyance: Dawnsong was the sweetest and most gentle cat in WindClan! Apart from her mother, of course. Dawnsong was Embercloud's sister, and they were complete opposites in every respect. The Clan chanted the names of the three new apprentices with full enthusiasm.

"All three mentors are excellent Warriors, and I am sure they will pass their skills on to these Apprentices. I am looking forward to making Duskshadow's kits into Apprentices next moon." Elmstar finished before dismissing the Clan with a flick of her tail and hopping down from the High Hill gracefully.

Embercloud padded up to Gustpaw after all the Clan had dispersed.

"Looking forward to this?" She asked, an evil twinge tickling her voice. She chuckled slightly and smirked. Gustpaw could only nod, trying to smile enthusiastically.

"Good. Now go and get some sleep," Embercloud ordered, her tail swishing slightly, her eyes darting to one side, as if she was already bored of her new Apprentice. She began to trot away in the direction of the Warriors' Den.

"You're going to need it..." She giggled to herself, disappearing into the Warriors' Den. Gustpaw gulped as she watched the ginger she-cat walk away. She hurried into the Apprentices' Den, dreading the next day. As soon as she entered, her sister bounded up to her.

"Oh Gustpaw, isn't it exciting?" exclaimed Cinderpaw, her eyes bright. Gustpaw gave an irritable grunt in response. Sure, it will be fun for her sister; her mentor was Dawnsong. Gustpaw was stuck with her evil sister. Cloudpaw had already curled up, but there was an excited smile plastered across his face. Gustpaw grumbled again, ignoring the hurt look from Cinderpaw, and curled up in a nearby nest. Since the three litter-mates were currently the only Apprentices, there was lots of room. All the same, they slept fairly close together, not used to sleeping without their Mother. Although Gustpaw spent some time wriggling around, worrying about tomorrow, she eventually drifted off into a shallow sleep.

"Gustpaw! Wake up!" A small paw was prodding her side. Gustpaw opened one eye wearily. It was Cloudpaw. His blue eyes wide and tinged with excitement.

"Sorry," he mewed, "I wanted to wake you up before Embercloud had to. I don't want her to get cross with you on our first day." Explained Cloudpaw, sitting back slightly. Gustpaw heaved herself up and nodded to her brother in appreciation.

"Thanks. I certainly don't want to get on the bad side of_ Embercloud_!" She whispered, giggling slightly. She looked around the Den for their sister.

"Where's Cinderpaw?" Gustpaw asked. She didn't need to worry about being scolded by _her _Mentor.

"She's already outside. She woke me up when she was going out of the Den this morning. She was stumbling everywhere and she stepped on her paw." Cloudpaw explained, looking a little annoyed; no cat liked being woken up. He shrugged and trotted out of the Den, Gustpaw close behind.

"Excellent. You're all here." Mewed Embercloud, inspecting the three quivering Apprentices carefully. Dawnsong stood next to her, smiling innocently. Timberfur sat next to them, his tail wrapped around his paws and a faint smile crossing his face.

"I think we should start by showing them the territory." Suggested Dawnsong, her eyes bright and positive. Embercloud sighed, reluctantly, but she agreed, as did Timberfur. The three Mentor padded out of camp at a brisk pace, with their Apprentices following close behind. They quicken their pace into run, racing across the open moors. The sky was an untainted blue, and the sun shone down brightly, completing what was a perfect Green-Leaf day.

They continued into the small strip of forest at the end of their territory, which was bursting with life because it was Green-Leaf. Bird song drifted along the light breeze, and the rustling of bushes was heard all around them. Gustpaw gasped; she had never imagined the forest to be this beautiful. Sunlight filtered through the trees, making the light dapple the forest floor like the patches on Gustpaw's pelt. Her litter-mates were admiring the scenery too, but their Mentors just padded along as usual, as they were accustomed with the forest in all seasons. They kept going until they reached a river, which rushed down into the lake that was at the centre of all the Clans' Territories.

"This is the ThunderClan border. You may not cross unless instructed by Elmstar." Explained Timberfur, gesturing with his tail to the forest on the other side. The three Apprentices nodded, and then they all set off again, following the lake, to the RiverClan border.

When they arrived back at Camp, the three litter-mates were exhausted. They were all trying their best to look strong. Cinderpaw was trying not to pant, and Cloudpaw was trying to hold himself up. Gustpaw had plastered an unconvincing grin across her face, and was trying to stop her eyelids from drooping. Dawnsong chuckled, seeing right through their efforts.

"I think we should call it a day: you all look so tired!" Dawnsong announced, her soft green eyes kind and understanding. Timberfur agreed and Embercloud gave a reluctant sigh: she had clearly wanted to train them further. Eventually she nodded in agreement, and the Apprentices dipped their heads in thanks and hurried to the Apprentices' Dip. Last night they had slept inside, but tonight they joined the rest of the Clan in sleeping outside, as WindClan cats usually did. They huddled together and chatted about their first day.

"Our Territory is so big, don't you think?" Grinned Cloudpaw, his eyes alight despite his tiredness.

"I know! It's amazing! I can't wait to go hunting!" Added Cinderpaw. She had curled up, her eyelids drooping slightly, but a positive tone was still in her voice.

"I want to learn how to fight off those ThunderClan intruders!" Giggled Gustpaw, an ambitious twinkle in her eye. She then curled up next to her sister, and quickly fell into a deep sleep, now anticipating what the next day would bring.

**It's a little boring I know. I'm tired and have a small case of Writer's Block. Hopefully it will get more exciting when it gets into the proper training next Chapter. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and has a happy New Year! Signed, Moon. :)**

**P.S: If you review, you get a Dawnsong plushie. :3**


	5. Showoff

**Show-off**

"Today you will be learning some basic moves," announced Timberfur, standing beside Embercloud, who already had a bored expression on her face. Dawnsong was on Patrol, so the other two Mentors had agreed to take her Apprentice with them on their first battle training session.

"The first move you will be learning is a basic pin down and belly rake," explained Embercloud, inspecting the Apprentices carefully, as if they were some tasty fresh-kill. Gustpaw nodded along, eager to start training.

"Embercloud and I will demonstrate. I will first pin Embercloud down," mewed Timberfur, waiting as Embercloud sauntered to the centre of the Training Dip. She stood there, her expression a permanent look of unimpressed superiority. Timberfur charged toward her and knocked her over, leaping on top of her and quickly pinning her down.

"This can go two ways," began Timberfur, his face expressionless, "either I can slash Embercloud's face or throat, like so," He brought his paw across Embercloud's face quickly, claws safely sheathed.

"Or," Embercloud countered, "I can perform a basic belly rake to get him unpin me." She then pawed at his belly with her back legs, her claws sheathed also.

"The belly is the most vulnerable part of our bodies, so it would hurt a lot; probably enough to get the opponent off of you." Explained Timberfur, stepped off of Embercloud, who quickly got to her feet, her expression unchanging.

"Gustpaw, Cloudpaw, get out here and give it a try," commanded Embercloud, a spark of amusement appearing in her green eyes. The two Apprentices came out, both with determined Apprentices. Cloudpaw stood in the middle, and Gustpaw charged at him, leaping forward, paws outstretched. Cloudpaw was thrown to the ground as soon as they made contact, as if Gustpaw pushed him over before she even touched him. He gave out a surprised 'Oof' as he hit the ground, winded slightly. He quickly collected himself, not before Gustpaw batted him round the face. He scowled slightly and pushed at her belly with his hind legs, a little harder than needed. Gustpaw hopped backwards, rolling back onto her haunches. They looked at each other, satisfied, and stood up fully.

"Excellent!" congratulated Timberfur, eyes shining with pride. Embercloud, however, did not look so impressed.

"You could have been a little more creative; you followed the moves exactly to the letter. In a real battle situation, things will not go exactly to plan, and you will need to compromise," Embercloud commented, her eyes turned back to their usual unimpressed setting. Timberfur let out a small sigh, and gave the Apprentices an apologetic glance.

"Okay, Cinderpaw, it's your turn. You can face Cloudpaw," ordered Timberfur. And so the training continued.

"Hey Gustpaw, you're pretty strong!" exclaimed Cloudpaw, nudging his sister, "I hit the ground really hard!" They were having a break before they had their first hunting session.

"Sorry! I didn't realised I pushed you that hard," Gustpaw mewed, her brow furrowed in thought. _I barely pushed him; I'm surprised he even fell over! How could I possibly have pushed him that hard? _She thought, drifting off into her own world of thought. Cinderpaw soon snapped her out by cuffing her ear with her paw.

"Hello? Earth to Gustpaw!" she called, whiskers twitching in amusement. Gustpaw shook her head, brining herself back. She looked into the green eyes of her sister, who was still full of energy. Gustpaw stifled a yawn and hopped up, her ears twitching as she heard the Mentors approaching. This time Embercloud was not with them. She gave an inward sigh of relief.

"Embercloud has been taken for an important Patrol, so we will have to do without her," announced Timberfur, trying to hide the triumphant look in his eyes. Dawnsong stood beside him, looking happy and care-free as always. She began to trot out onto the open Moors, and flicked her tail for them to follow. Timberfur joined her at the lead, and soon the dip that served as their Camp disappeared, and they were surrounded by rolling hills covered in lush green grass.

"As WindClan cats, we rely on speed and the direction of the wind to help of hunt," Timberfur told them, lifting his head to feel the direction of the wind. He then got up, scenting the air.

"You must stalk the rabbit carefully for as long as possible without it noticing. Once it realises you're near, it will take off, and you must chase after. The closer you are, to easier it will be to catch up with it," Song explained, flicking her tail to Timberfur, who had spotted a rabbit a few fox-lengths away. He quickly demonstrated how to stalk a rabbit, but did not go after the rabbit.

"Let's makes this interesting," mewed Timberfur, an amused glint appearing in his eyes, "all three of you will stalk it, and hopefully one of you will catch it," his little 'game' seemed like the kind of thing Embercloud would suggest... perhaps she asked him to do this before she went on the Patrol. So the three Apprentices lined up and began to stalk the rabbit. Fortunately there were no thick, long grasses to disturb as they swished their tails with concentration. Cinderpaw wobbled and nearly fell sideways, Cloudpaw was having trouble keeping low and Gustpaw was concentrating so hard on stalking perfectly she was going really slowly. Eventually Cinderpaw tripped and gave a squeal of surprise as she hit the ground face-first, and the rabbit took off, Cloudpaw and Gustpaw in pursuit. Although Gustpaw ran as fast as she could, Cloudpaw easily overtook her, quickly closing the gap on him and rabbit. Gustpaw made a desperate leap to get in front of him, but landed badly and rolled to one side. Cloudpaw hurtled after the rabbit. He made a final leap, claws outstretched, and landed directly on top of the rabbit, and clawed at it until he killed it. He picked up his catch, which was fairly bloodied and mangled after his attempts to kill it, and trotted over to the Mentors, eyes filled with pride. Timberfur and Dawnsong congratulated him, and Cinderpaw soon stumbled over to give him a 'well done' lick on the ear. Gustpaw heaved herself up and marched over, giving a grunt of congratulation. That catch should have been _hers. _

"Okay, excellent work all of you, but especially Cloudpaw. All of you could improve your stalking technique. Cinderpaw, you must be lighter on your paws, and keep your centre of balance. Cloudpaw, you must keep yourself lower to the ground. And Gustpaw, your technique is good, but you need to be much quicker," Song advised, seeming proud of all the Apprentices. Gustpaw grunted quietly; Stupid Cloudpaw, stealing her catch. He had a triumphant look on his face, and he puffed out his chest in pride. _Show-off._

Timberfur then asked them to each stalk a rabbit separately. They trotted a little further into the moors until they found another rabbit nearby. Cinderpaw went first, shakily stalking the rabbit. It quickly noticed her, as she squeaking every time she nearly fell over, struggling to keep her balance whilst keeping low and quiet. She charged after it, her short legs pounding hard against the ground. Eventually she tired and stopped, panting heavily. She came trotting back with a disappointed look on her face. Dawnsong comforted her and told her they could work on it together later.

Then Cloudpaw's turn came. They picked up another scent and he began stalking it, wobbling slightly, his tail lashing against the ground as he tried to keep his balance. Gustpaw growled silently to herself: if he got any closer, he'd easily catch that rabbit. _I wish the wind would change direction, so his scent was blowing right into that rabbit's face! _She thought. She didn't want her brother catching_ another_ rabbit; he wouldn't stop talking about it for moons. Suddenly, the rabbit lifted its head as a sudden wind blew over it, carrying Cloudpaw's scent. It quickly scarpered, hurrying off to a nearby warren. Cloudpaw gave a growl of annoyance; he as just about to leap on it! He stalked back to the others, tail flicking form side to side with aggravation. Gustpaw hid her look of pleasure and shot him a sympathetic look.

"Unlucky Cloudpaw, the wind changed at the last minute," Timberfur mewed, "at least you caught one rabbit." Cloudpaw nodded solemnly and sat next to Cinderpaw.

Gustpaw was the last to attempt. The scented another rabbit and sent her after it. She stalked it carefully, going as fast as she could without falling over. Luckily, the rabbit did not notice her until she was a few tail lengths away. She bunched her haunches, and soared through the air; it was an impressive distance to jump for a small Apprentice. She closed her claws around the rabbit's throat, killing it instantly. She padded back, head held high, the rabbit swinging in her mouth. They all congratulated her, and began to walk back to Camp.

Embercloud came rushing over the hill. There was a large gash across her shoulder, and she was limping slightly. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Timberfur, Dawnsong, quick! RiverClan attack! Bring the Apprentices too, but watch out for them. We need all the paws we can get!" She yowled, her voice stuttering slightly with terror. The three siblings looked at each other: they were going to have to fight. The light from the sky was fading, and clouds were beginning to dapple the sky, heavy and full of potential rain.

**Sorry, it's not great. I'm feeling a little sluggish and uncreative at the moment. :( But, everyone review anyways. :3**


	6. Battling storm

**Bad naughty Moon has been awfully busy! Bla to school everyone! So here I am, and I know you missed me... please enjoy! ~Silent**

Battling storm

"Dawnsong, take the apprentices with you!" commanded Timberfur, his voice losing its usually calm tone. He bounded after Embercloud, who kept silent, her face set with anger. Dawnsong turned to apprentices, her eyes full of worry, but she stood tall and nodded to the three small cats.

"Come with me," she mewed, her voice shaking but firm. She flicked her tail and bounded after the two fleeting cats, towards the Camp. Thunder cracked through the eerie silence and a harsh wind blew across the terrain, howling as it battered at the cats' fur.

The camp was a writhing mass of fighting cats. Yowls and snarls rose up, only to be drowned out by the raging wind. Gustpaw stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide with terror. Cinderpaw huddled into her side, but Cloudpaw stood tall even though his whole body was shaking. Dawnsong looked back at them, lowering her head. She turned back to scope the scene, her eyes slowly filling with concern. What was Embercloud thinking?

"I can't let you fight. There are too many cats, and you've had too little training. Stay here and out of trouble." Dawnsong ordered her voice firm. Cloudpaw opened his mouth to protest, but Dawnsong had already joined the mass, her silver pelt disappearing into the crowd.

"What are we supposed to do now? Just sit here? I could easily take on two of those scrawny fish-eaters!" growled Cloudpaw, hopping from side to side impatiently. Gustpaw cuffed him over the ear, throwing him a silencing look.

"Sshh, they'll notice us! We don't stand a chance against any of them; they're bigger and they've had more training. We barely know one move!" she snapped, glaring at her brother. He needed to stop putting his ambition before his own safety. Cloudpaw grumbled at his sister, but sat down, his tail twitching in annoyance.

"Fine, I'll stay, but only because I need to look after Cinderpaw," he snorted, turning around to face Gustpaw. "Where is she?" He asked, his gaze darkening as he looked at Gustpaw. She leapt up, spinning around as she suddenly realised her sister's disappearance. She let out a whimper as she noticed her fragile sister was nowhere in sight.

"Cinderpaw! We have to find her! Great 'looking after'. You go look for her away from camp!" Gustpaw snapped, glaring at Cloudpaw before scrambling down the steep hill into the raging camp. The clouds rumbled again, threatening to send down a torrent of rain. Gustpaw weaved through the crowd, slipping under the bellies of larger cats, and dodging the fearsome blows that came at all angles. She rolled and darted, her eyes wide and searching for her lost sister.

Claws latched onto her back and she was thrown to the ground by a lithe blue-gray tom. His eyes were a dark, mucky green and he raked a claw across her face. He seemed to be only an apprentice too. She growled in anger and kicked at his belly. She reached up, digging her claws into his shoulders and shoved him of her, sending him smacking to the ground. They both leapt up, circling each other a couple of times before hurtling, full speed, towards each other.

The moment they made contact, the sky erupted. Rain crashed to the ground, pelting both cats' fur with a rally of freezing bullets, soaking their pelts and plastering it to their skin. The wind picked up to an ever more furious speed, howling like a pack of angry wolves. Gustpaw fought against the wind with an unnatural ease, but lowered her body to the ground as the rain pelted down. Her green-eyed opponent battled against the wind, easily standing upright as if it wasn't raining at all. The two tumbled over and over, spitting and lashing out furiously with claw and tooth, blood smearing the ground and turning the rapidly forming puddles red. Gustpaw leapt onto the other's back, clawing and biting with a crazed desperation. The tom reared up, leaping and twirling as he tried to fling Gustpaw off his back. He slammed into the ground, sending her tumbling a few paces away. He came hurtling towards her, and she heaved herself off the ground, only to be shoved back down again. Fur and blood flew as the wind ripped at the tom and the rain lashed at Gustpaw. The sky thundered and the rolling clouds were cracked with lightning as the two apprentices weaved between the other fighting cats, ducking one another's blows and slipping under other cats, and circling around others. Gustpaw glanced to one side to see a set of light green eyes shining fearfully through the darkness of a nearby tunnel.

"Cinderpaw!" Gustpaw gasped, prancing from side to side as she tried to concentrate on both her sister and the RiverClan apprentice. A trail of blood lead to the tunnel, and Gustpaw found herself tumbling into the tunnel as something threw her into it. She landed a few paw steps from Cinderpaw, who leapt backwards at the appearance of a shadowed shape at the entrance of the tunnel. It crouched down, and prepared to spring onto her dazed sister.

"RiverClan, retreat!" a yowl echoed through the tunnel from the outside. The shadow at the entrance growled and disappeared. Cinderpaw rushed over to her sister, blood dripping off her shoulder.

"This cat took me away and tried to kill me, but I ran away and his in here. I'm sorry," Cinderpaw whimpered, lowering her head to look at her collapsed sister. But Gustpaw didn't hear a thing; she was lost in a choking blackness.

Outside, a threatening calm settled over the near-empty camp. Puddles and smears of red were splattered across the torn ground and a scattering of leaves blown in from ThunderClan territory littered the moors. But the sky was as silent as the undisturbed waters of the MoonPool.

**Also, please note the new username. I've been experimenting recently. This is still the very same Moonflower85, have no fear. **

**Review and you get a happy raincloud. I know you want it. ~Silent :3**


	7. Recovery

Recovery

Honeyblossom was not having a good day. Well, in her eyes. There were many different cats to tend to, which she generally didn't mind; since it was her duty. But when half of them were wittering on to her about this and that, she just couldn't stand it. She liked her patients to be silent and tolerant, and today nearly all of her visitors had been neither of these. To top it all off, there was a small Apprentice, who she feared was dangerous, asleep in her Den. She glared at the sleeping Gustpaw once more before turning towards the paw steps that were slowly growing louder as Cloudpaw, Gustpaw's brother, came stumbling into the Medicine Den, his eyes wide with worry, and his feet constantly tripping over themselves as he made his way over to his sister. Honeyblossom held back an irritable growl, and switched her stone-cold gaze to the new arrival.

"What do you want, little fur ball? I'm busy," Honeyblossom snapped, flicking her golden tail impatiently as she stalked over the piles of herbs stacked neatly in a corner of the cavern. Cloudpaw skidded back a couple of steps, his blue eyes now as wide and glowing as the sun, which was blinking solemnly outside. Honeyblossom grumbled and waved a paw in dismissence, as if to say she didn't really care. Cloudpaw shot a last anxious glance at the heartless Medicine Cat before collapsing my Gustpaw's side, laying his head on her back.

"Oh, it's my entire fault!" he wailed, closing his eyes in shame, "I should have gone into the battle to find Cinderpaw," he kept his eyes closed, feeling his sister's shaky breathing. A sharp tone cut the guilty silence:

"Shut your jaw, mouse brain, she'll be fine!" Honeyblossom snarled, turning to glower at Cloudpaw. His white patched fur stood on end as he tried to avoid her terrifying stare. He nodded briefly and lifted himself off his sister, who rolled over and batted at the air, her eyes still closed. Cloudpaw watched, hopping from foot to foot, as Gustpaw's eyes slowly flickered open. Bright green eyes scanned the area around her, and Gustpaw rolled over onto her belly slowly, groaning in pain as she shook her paw grimly. Cloudpaw leapt in leapt in the air, turning in circles in his glee.

"You're awake! Oh I was so worried, you have no idea!" Cloudpaw exclaimed, leaping in circles around his sister, who was struggling to her feet. She turned around in a circle shakily and nodded at her brother.

"I'm fine really, you didn't need to worry," Gustpaw mumbled, taking another wary step forward before turning her nervous green gaze to Honeyblossom, who was glaring in her general direction.

"Go; come back if you have problems. Just don't do any rigorous exercise for a few sunrises," Honeyblossom explained, her voice an emotionless monotone. She turned away from the two Apprentices and back to her piles of herbs. Cloudpaw shot an unsure glance at his sister before bouncing to the entrance, waiting for Gustpaw to follow slowly after him, who placed each paw firmly on the ground before continuing. She didn't want the embarrassment of collapsing, nor did she want to spend any longer in a Den with the hot-tempered Honeyblossom. She eventually caught up with Cloudpaw, and the two siblings padded over to the fresh-kill pile, which was topped up with a few fresh rabbits. Cloupaw grabbed one and signalled for Gustpaw to share with him. She nodded wearily and plopped down on the ground next to her brother.

"Was Cinderpaw alright?" Gustpaw asked, her mind flickering to the image of her terrified sister cowering in the tunnel.

"Yes, she was pretty much unscathed. She said you really gave that RiverClan apprentice the what-for!" Cloudpaw eyes lit up at the idea of a fight as he said this, his tail twitching in excitement. Gustpaw shook her head and sighed before bending down to take small bite of the rabbit, feeling subdued after the fight. The weather too, had died down considerably. The occasional cloud dotted the sky but there was no wind at all, which was unusual. The Camp was almost empty, with only Jaggedstep chatting to his old apprentice Duskfang, the two warriors' dark pelts matching the tears of mud that were still smeared across the ground. Gustpaw laid her head on her paws as Cloudpaw finished up the rabbit without even asking if Gustpaw had eaten enough. He had been so worried about her, but Gustpaw was convinced it was only because it was _his _fault, and if she hadn't survived, he would have been riddled with guilt for the rest of his life. Cloudpaw may be her brother, but sometimes she wondered just how much he really cared.

Cinderpaw came hurtling down the hill and into the Camp, Dawnsong trotting calmly behind her. Cinderpaw had a rabbit hanging from her jaws, and she skidded to a halt just in front of her siblings, bouncing up and down on the spot, dropping the rabbit at her feet to speak.

"Look! Look! I caught a rabbit! My first ever rabbit! I did all on my own!" She exclaimed, her light green eyes almost popping out of their sockets they were so wide with exhilaration, her fur puffed out with pride. Cloudpaw leapt to his feet to lick his sister's cheek in congratulations, but Gustpaw didn't think she could manage getting to her feet so she nodded in approval and mewed a fairly enthusiastic 'well done'. Cloudpaw wasn't that excited when she caught _her _first rabbit. She shook it off; why did it matter what her brother thought? It wasn't like she had anything to prove to him. She huffed, pulling herself to her feet before stalking out of camp, leaving her littermates to tumble around in joy.

Gustpaw huffed; it wasn't fair, she had saved her sister's life, and she didn't even get a thank you? No else had even cared about her bravery, only Cloudpaw. But that was only because he felt bad about losing Cinderpaw. She stalked further way from camp, grumbling all the way. She paused when the camp was out of sight. She decided to catch a rabbit, which any supervision, and see just how proud her litter-mates were then. She lifted her head, opening her mouth slightly, catching the scent of a rabbit, just over the top of a near-by hill. She slunk over the hill, and paused, lower herself closer to the ground as she spotted the rabbit, chewing grass unaware of the approaching predator. Gustpaw sprung forward, claws outstretched, and landed on thin air, landing on the ground in a heap, flopping onto her side. She growled in frustration as the rabbit retreated into a nearby warren. She stood up fully, glaring at the sky in frustration. She lashed her tail, anger building inside her. The wind picked up suddenly, in short bursts as she lashed her tail from side to side. She paused, her expression changing to a look of confusion. The wind dropped. She flicked her tail down again, and wind blew sharply across her face. She flicked her tail in another direction, and the wind suddenly changed. She turned in a circle, her jaw hanging open with this sudden revelation. She bunched her haunches, and leapt forward, paws flailing and tail spinning, and wind propelled her forward, and she landed with a thump several fox-lengths from her original spot.

"I can control the wind," she muttered to herself, standing completely still as she brought her tail down and the wind to a stop. She pricked up her ears and turned in a circle.

"I can control the wind!" She exclaimed, bounding across the moors, flicking her tail, concentrating as she tried to make the wind follow her. She lashed her tail in the wrong direction and the wind hit her straight in the side, and she went toppling over, rolling over onto her belly. She picked herself back up again quickly, her eyes bright, her mind almost erased of her injured and she bounced make to Camp, purring all the while. Think of what she could do now! There was no way she could be ignored... but she had to practise; prove she could control something so significant that their Clan was named after it.

All thoughts of rabbits abandoned, Gustpaw arrived back at camp, far more cheerful than before.

The clouds from before seem to have been blown away, leaving a spotless blue sky.

**Ahaha! I did it again! I poofed! But, have no fear, I returned, and look, excitement, the basis of the plot is finally coming to life. I was only making subtle hints to the fact Gustpaw could control the wind before but now it is fully realised.**

**Mwahaha. Ha. Review and receive a blue sky. Well, a painting of one, and the good Karma that may just give you a nice cloudless day. :3**


	8. Secrets

**O.O …3 months you say? Well, er, I can explain. Actually, I can. It comes in the form of four words: School and moving country. So, yeah, sorry. But, it's summer now (yay!) And I shall try and finish this thing :O ~Silent :3**

**Secrets**

Gustpaw's paws pounded against the ground as the sun rose sleepily over the moors, casting soft beams of light across the hills. The tortoiseshell apprentice was up earlier than would be expected, but she had her mind set on practising. Not hunting, or fighting, but controlling the wind. With a flick of her tail, she got the wind blowing a favourable direction, so that it pushed her forward. Once she was far enough from the camp, she halted and let the wind drop, panting for a moment. Keeping the wind under her command was surprisingly exhausting. However, determination pushed her to charge forward, her tail lashing furiously as she attempted the get the wind blowing in the right direction. However, her tail was moving so frantically the wind went in no one direction. It swirled around itself, and tiny hurricane twisting around her tail and blowing off into the clouds. Gustpaw spun around just in time to see it disintegrate, ceasing to move as quickly as it had begun. Gustpaw halted completely, tilting her head. How had she done that? She twirled her tail around again, faster now. Sure enough, another tiny hurricane formed around her tail. Faster, faster, the apprentice swirled her tail, and faster the tornado grew. But it did not grow in size. Gustpaw lowered her body to the ground in the strain of it as she desperately attempted to expand her mini tornado. However, it only moved faster, her tail circling furiously, untouched by the tornado as it sat directing in the middle of what is called the 'eye of the storm'. Only a light breeze could be felt on her tail and the rest of her body, as the wind blew freely without Gustpaw's command. However, the tornado became no different and eventually Gustpaw collapsed on her side, panting heavily and her hurricane instantly degenerated.

'_Perhaps there is another way to make a bigger tornado…' _Gustpaw wondered, getting shakily to her feet. Imagine, enveloping the enemy Clan in a looming hurricane, whisking away any attacker! If only she could master her new found powers, she would be a great warrior, perhaps even greater than Redwhisker! Wait, if the Clan knew of her powers, surely they would be too afraid to revere her? They would shun her, because that was what cats did, do everything they can to get rid of the things they were frightened of. Gustpaw lowered her head, accepting the fact she would have to keep her unique talent a secret. That meant no showing up Cloudpaw and finally impressing her Mentor. She would have to do that without the help of the wind. But that didn't mean she couldn't practise in secret, because she knew one day her powers would come in useful, and she would make her whole Clan proud. With that thought in mind, Gustpaw turned her thoughts back to her new theory of creating bigger whirlwinds. If she ran around in circles, perhaps she could lead the wind the follow her path, thus creating a larger tornado. Gustpaw nodded to herself, beginning to run in a circle, a small one minds. Any cat watching would have thought she was crazy, or like a young kit chasing after her own tail, but truth was there was real sense behind the tortoiseshell's erratic movements.

Sure enough, in the centre of Gustpaw's circle there formed a whirlwind, only visible by the circling formation of loose blades of grass that were lifted and spun in the air. Gustpaw's eyes were with alight with the excitement of her discovery and her tail fluttered out behind her like a banner. Faster and faster she twirled in circles, and faster and larger the hurricane grew. It _was _getting bigger this time! Gustpaw could almost leap with glee, her ecstasy clouding her concentration for just one moment, a moment that let the tornado spin out of control, twirling away from the Apprentice. Gustpaw's dashing came to a sudden halt as she watched the tornado fly away, still spinning rapidly. _I have to stop it! But how?_ Even though Gustpaw had stopped, the tornado had not. The joy in her eyes was replaced with anxiety as she frantically tried to think of something that would end it. She bounded after it, yowling and crying 'stop!' But it was of no use. She had to stop, no longer able to keep up with it. She stamped her forepaws in her annoyance, which, to her surprise, whisked the tornado away so it became just another part of the breeze. Gustpaw stared, shocked, and also pleased she had figured out how to stop it. She slowed her rushed, heavy breathing and exhaled deeply, relieved. _Perhaps it is time to return to camp. Embercloud will probably call me for training soon. _Gustpaw decided before beginning to make her way back to camp, her pace brisk but relaxed, pretending as though nothing had happened.

"What are you doing Gustpaw?" Came a small voice from just over the hill. It wasn't a voice that suggested anger or disappointment, but one of pure curiosity and innocence. It was the voice of a Kit. Gustpaw paused, lifting a paw in wonder. Had they seen her? She couldn't trust one of Duskshadow's kits with her secret, even if they were only a Moon younger than Gustpaw and her littermates. Gustpaw took a few tentative steps forward, peering forward to try and see who it was.

It was Ravenkit, the bolder one of the two kits who were both toms. He was black with white splotches, the most prominent being one covering his right eye. They got their black fur form their father, Shadepool, the senior warrior who only showed affection to his Mate, Duskshadow, who was a lustrous earthy brown, with lighter flecks being the only pattern to taint the sheer colour. Both kits, the other being Fadedkit, shared their mother's striking golden-bronze eyes that glinted like the sun in the light. Right now, Ravenkit's wide eyes were staring straight at Gustpaw, with a look that told her he saw everything. She gulped.

"Oh, just some early-morning hunting. No luck though; clearly I need more training," she explained shiftily, her eyes flickering away from Ravenkit's strangely daunting gaze.

"Really now? That's not what I saw. I saw you do some weird things, Gustpaw, and it's pretty obvious you weren't hunting." The gap in age between Gustpaw and Ravenkit seemed lengthen, but this time Ravenkit was the older one. His stare was penetrating and held the hint that he had something in store for Gustpaw.

"Oh yeah, I got a bit distracted. I just like prancing about a bit, I suppose," Gustpaw replied, dismissing Ravenkit's suspicious glare with a nonchalant tone and slight smile. She couldn't have Ravenkit knowing her secret, he was known among the younger members of the Clan for his manipulative tendencies. It was no wonder his brother seemed so distant compared to him.

"Yeah, right! I may be a kit still but I'm not stupid. I saw you making whirlwinds," Ravenkit snapped back, his tone harsh and accusing, so much so that Gustpaw stumbled backwards a few steps. The black tom was not acting like a kit at all. He was acting like a ThunderClan warrior who'd just caught her stealing prey. She hid the alarm in her eyes, refusing to be intimidated by the feisty Kit.

"Ravenkit, have you got moss in your brain or is your head just up in the clouds? No one can make 'whirlwinds', it's impossible," she retorted before trotting away, pushing past the Kit, purposefully flicking him with her tail as she did. She would be more careful when she was training from now on, because next time it might not be a Kit who witnessed her 'practising'.

"I'll be watching you, Gustpaw. This façade can't last forever," Ravenkit gave final warning sneer before Gustpaw trotted completely out of earshot, leaving the kit stranded in the empty moors. What was the kit doing out of the Nursery anyways? Duskshadow would be upset, and she was known to be especially strict. He blatantly manipulated Fadedkit into not telling anyone. With a final look of disgust in Ravenkit's direction, Gustpaw quickened her gait and hurried back to Camp, pushed by the thought of Embercloud waiting impatiently for her.

Fortunately, she was not, and Gustpaw found the Camp mostly still, only the soft rise and fall of her Clan-mates breathing could be seen as the Sun slowly rose, gradually illuminating a cloudless sky. The Dawn patrol would be moving out soon. Gustpaw made her way back over to the Apprentice's dip, creeping carefully past the warriors. Relieved no one had woken up, she was about to curl up, until she noticed a small shape trembling in the entrance to the Nursery. It was Fadedkit. Gustpaw slinked over, careful not to make a sound. She lowered her head to speak to the Kit.

"What's wrong Fadedkit? Is it Ravenkit? If you want to know, I saw him on my way back to Camp and he's fine. A little smug though, you should really put him in his place," she suggested jokingly, a soft tone to her voice. Even though they were a single moon apart, Fadedkit was especially fragile. He cowered backwards slightly, golden-brown eyes wide with concern and fear.

"Oh, he's alright? That's good, I was worried. I told him not to go out because it was dangerous and Duskshadow would get mad, but he wouldn't listen. He doesn't listen to anybody. I try to tell him, but he either ignores me or yells at me," Fadedkit explained, relaxing slightly but still quivering somewhat. He then gave Gustpaw a grateful nod, "thank you though, for telling me. But I think I'll leave the telling off to you and my mother." He gave a nervous chuckle, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment, shuffling his white fore-paws. Gustpaw shook her head, whiskers twitching slightly.

"It's no problem, I just bumped into him. He was quite rude, actually, I did my best to dismiss him," Gustpaw returned, thinking back to the sickening glint in Ravenkit's eyes. It was so different compared to the soft glow of Fadedkit's, even though the colour matched. "I'd better go; Embercloud will probably come looking for me soon. You should really tell Duskshadow what Ravenkit's been up to," with a final glance Fadedkit, who only blinked in reply, Gustpaw padded back to the Apprentice's dip and curled up next to Cinderpaw as if nothing had happened. Gustpaw knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, but she wrapped her ginger-tipped tail across her body and shut her eyes, pretending she had been asleep the whole time. She heard the light paw-steps of Ravenkit returning to camp, and a hushed conversation between him and his brother. She heard the Warriors stirring for the Dawn Patrol, and the scent of Embercloud drifted over to her, growing stronger. A paw prodded her side sharply.

"Gustpaw, wake up. I'm taking you on the Dawn Patrol so you can get a feel for what you have to do," the harsh voice of Embercloud muttered in her ear, "plus, it's good for you to rise early." She added before stalking off to join the rest of the Patrol, not even looking back to see if Gustpaw followed. Of course, the tortoiseshell apprentice quickly jumped up and scurried after her Mentor, ready and eager to go on her first Patrol. Embercloud had no idea that the Apprentice had been awake far before her.

Shadepool, Silverlark and Jaggedstep stood waiting for Embercloud and her Apprentice. Gustpaw looked around at the warriors and gave them all a respectful nod, hiding the fear that she felt inside her. Shadepool, Ravenkit and Fadedkit's father, was a lithe black tom with a single white paw and striking amber eyes that were flecked with gold. He was a sinister character who was known to hunt in the shadows of the night. Despite his wicked looks, he had no intention of betraying his Clan and all evil intentions were directed towards the other Clans. Gustpaw knew not to say a word out of line whilst Shadepool was around. Right now, he was staring straight at her, inspecting her carefully. His eyes held no emotion but his gaze still sent shivers up Gustpaw's spine.

Silverlark, the next cat, was a slight, soft spoken she-cat with silvery stripes and beautiful eyes the colour of the morning skies. She was mostly quiet, her gentle nature lending naturally towards soothing the younger members of the Clan. She was often seen in the Nursery, helping the Queens, and it was fairly obvious she wanted kits of her own. However, pretty though she was, no tom had shown a particular interest yet. Gustpaw failed to understand why, feeling a hint of jealousy for the silver she-cat.

The last cat was Jaggedstep, a heavy-built dark brown tom who was gruff in appearance but kind in heart. His courage and loyalty to the Clan was well-known, and he had earned a limp from a fox that threatened to invade the nursery many moons back. His appearance was imposing but his amber eyes were filled with warmth. Gustpaw held the utmost respect for the senior warrior, and had a particular need to impress him, for he knew what true bravery was.

Three cats Gustpaw did not encounter often, but she was pleased to join them, even if Embercloud's presence made her shrink in confidence slightly. Once everyone was ready, they began to head out, and Embercloud beckoned Gustpaw to follows with a flick of her feathery ginger tail, and so she did, head lifted to the brightening skies.

**C'mon, that was quite long! 2000+ words! Surely that makes up for my absence? No? Well, sorry, but life is life and school, sadly, must come first. And then there's my procrastination. So sorry again. Do enjoy, however, my rusty writing, and be happy in the knowledge that if you review, I will give you a Fadedkit plushie, because I love Fadedkit. He's one of my RP Characters, except I don't RP him as a kit, but a full warrior. The personality is pretty much the same and he's a favourite of mine. Expect to see more of him and his 'evil twin' Ravenkit. **

**Sorry for rambling o.o 'Till next time, Moon :3**


	9. The face of the enemy

**I don't update quickly usually, you know. You should feel privileged. To be honest, I'm actually finding some muse for this, even though I have no idea where it's going. There are some weird twists I have in mind, but in terms of the main Plot I am actually clueless. It should reveal itself to me, though, eventually. For now, enjoy this chapter. Also, I just realised how much I had failed with Gustpaw's miraculous healing, so I decided to make this (and last chapter) a few days after the RiverClan attack, just if anyone was confused. Apologies. Also, massive thankies to 101Icestormxx, Wildheart22 and TheVampLuvr1 for their lovely reviews. I appreciate it :3**

The Face of the Enemy

The air was fresh and carried the pollen-laden scent of Green-leaf. Gustpaw snuffled as a single yellow grain landed on her nose. She shook her head, trying to remove it. Embercloud whipped round and gave her an unimpressed but bemused look. Gustpaw ceased and lowered her head, padding just behind the older cats, feeling out of place and lonely without her littermates. Silverlark and Jaggedstep were sharing a light, cheerful conversation and Shadepool was up ahead, head raised and mouth open as he carefully scented the air, eyes searching ahead for any sign of intruders. They were heading to the ThunderClan border, where a small stream marked the line between the two territories. Embercloud padded just in front of her Apprentice, chin held high to show her constant contempt to the world around her. Gustpaw failed to understand how her Mentor was so bitter. Her sister Dawnsong was so gentle and kind, showing compassion to every member of the clan. Only their eyes and almost identical size proved that the two cats were sisters. Embercloud was harsh and it had been Gustpaw's luck to get her as a Mentor. If only she could make a tornado around her and prove what she could really do… Gustpaw knew this was not allowed, because she couldn't risk being shunned by her Clan. She didn't want them to be afraid of her, she want them to be proud of her. It was so unfair she had to keep such an amazing talent shut up inside her, leaving Cloudpaw to hog the limelight.

"How are your wounds healing Gustpaw? I heard you fought well against that RiverClan Apprentice," Silverlark had turned to look into the green eyes of the tortoiseshell apprentice, her expression holding a gentle maturity and her eyes held a glow of compassion. Gustpaw was slightly surprised the young warrior had spoken to her. She had also completely forgotten about the wounds. Clearly Honeyblossom had done a good job patching them up, plus it had been a few sunrises since the battle. Although now she thought about it, she could feel a small jab of pain stab at her shoulder as she walked.

"Oh, its fine now, thank you Silverlark. Honeyblossom looked after me well," Gustpaw replied cheerfully, ignoring the slight pain, knowing not to complain in front of the warriors, particularly her Mentor who had grudgingly given her a few days off training. Silverlark gave a nod and a small 'good' before turning back to Jaggedstep, who hobbled along proudly as though his walking was not impaired at all. Gustpaw admired the tom's perseverance as she watched him stumble forward, conversing lightly with Silverlark. She quickened her pace a jog as Embercloud left her side to tread beside Shadepool, who didn't say a word to the she-cat.

Eventually, after a long silence with only the sound of the paw-steps against the soft grass and the muffled sound of Jaggedstep and Silverlark's suspiciously hushed conversation to break it, the Patrol reached the ThunderClan border. Shadepool proceeded to mark it dutifully whilst Embercloud stared out into the endless forest of the opposing clan's territory, watching for any intruders. WindClan had been on high alert since the RiverClan attack. ThunderClan scent was strong but there was not a cat in sight. Their Patrol must have just left. Gustpaw scampered over to stand by Embercloud, staring wide-eyed into the forest with a look of awe on her face.

"Wow, it's so big. There are too many trees, how do they find their prey?" Gustpaw wondered out loud, feeling like an inquisitive kit again. Embercloud gave an impatient sigh.

"They smell the prey just like we do. They have more cover too, it's easier for them. Lazy fleabags," Embercloud growled, turning her head sharply as Shadepool moved out again with the other two warriors following after. Gustpaw looked slightly taken-aback: ThunderClan hadn't attacked so why was Embercloud so rude about them? ThunderClan were generally quite friendly. Gustpaw blamed it on her Mentor's spiteful personality and rushed after the retreating patrol.

It was a while before they reached the other end of the territory, all the time a silence hung over them like a depressed haze, making Gustpaw lower her head slightly as she wished one of her siblings was on the patrol too. She had no-one to talk to with all the older warriors around her, and even if she did have the courage they didn't seem in the mood to talk. Even Jaggedstep and Silverlark had stopped talking and were padding along quietly, heads raised to the wind. Embercloud and Shadepool sauntered side-by-side, ignoring the awkward silence as though it were a pesky fly. Gustpaw trailed a few paw-steps behind, feeling sad and lonely. This wasn't how she imagined her first Patrol to be.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the warriors halted, reaching the RiverClan border. Gutspaw's tri-coloured fur stood on end as she glowered at the approaching RiverClan patrol. Shadepool ignored it, marking the border as if nothing was there, as did Embercloud. Silverlark's eyes widened and her hackles rose automatically, standing close to Jaggedstep. Sure enough, the RiverClan cats stalking towards them, the lead being a grey tabby tom with blue eyes full of contempt. After him came two other warriors and two apprentices, one of which Gustpaw immediately recognised as the one she had fought in the battle. A growl rose in her throat, but she was quickly silenced by Silverlark's tail in her mouth and a warning glance from Jaggedstep.

"Well, well, what do we have here, Shadepool. Pathetic little RiverClan leading a pathetic little patrol. Oh, still sore about your defeat? Shame," Embercloud sneered, turning her face away from the opposite Clan's cats in disdain. The lead of the RiverClan patrol let out a snarl.

"Defeat? We didn't lose, we were being tactile. You WindClan mousebrains wouldn't know about that, would you?" Countered the cat, his tail lashing furiously. Meanwhile, Gustpaw took a few steps forward, careful not to cross the border, and glared at the blue-grey apprentice.

"You! I know you; you attacked me," Gustpaw snarled at the small Tom, who answered with a snort.

"Of course I did, that's what I'm supposed to do. Lucky Minnowstar called off the attack, or you wouldn't be here right now!" He sneered, eyes narrowed slightly as he himself took a single step forward. The other apprentice skittered backwards slightly, eyes wide.

"I would have been just fine; it would have been you who would not see the sun set!" Gustpaw snarled, her fur bristling and green eyes darkening with hatred. The apprentice only shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Oh please, you WindClan cats are so weak. You would stand a chance agains-" the obnoxious apprentice was interrupted by the other apprentice, a white she-cat, nudging him.

"Um, Streampaw, are you sure this is a good idea? We did lose, you know…" she trailed off, her eyes flitting to the ground, paws shuffling nervously.

"Icepaw you are so pathetic! We didn't lose and you know it. Just because you didn't come doesn't mean you have to be bitter about it," the Tom snarled, baring his teeth at the she-cat, a sign that said 'be quiet!', before turning back to Gustpaw who looked a little horrified. She would never treat a Clan-mate like that!

"There's no need to be rude to your own Clan-mates. I don't really think you're worthy to speak to a noble WindClan cat," Gustpaw retorted, mimicking Embercloud's action of turning her face away in disgust. Streampaw, as he was apparently called, narrowed his eyes to slits but said nothing. Gustpaw only rolled her eyes; she had learnt some tricks from her Mentor, except Gustpaw wouldn't use them on her own Clan members.

"WindClan move out! Come on Gustpaw stop provoking them, even if it is fun. We don't have time to waste over these insolent, foul-smelling fleabags," Shadepool commanded, leading the patrol away from RiverClan and back towards camp without even so much as a glance back. The other three warriors followed, Silverlark scuttling nervously away, letting out a sigh of relief. Jaggedstep limped after nonchalantly as though nothing had happened. Embercloud simply padded away with Gustpaw trotting after, restraining herself from looking back at Streampaw. Instead, she flaunted her fluffed-out tail as her Patrol disappeared over the hills, leaving the RiverClan patrol just standing there, staring.

This time, it wasn't long before they were back at Camp. More cats were awake now, milling about and conversing light-heartedly. Dustfang was sharing a rabbit with his sister Meadowbreeze as Duskshadow peered lazily out of the nursery, Fadedkit close to her side. Ravenkit was nowhere to be seen. Gustpaw turned to wink at the kit, who gave a surprised blink in reply, but waved his tail in acknowledgement. Gustpaw gave a small purr and bounded down the slope that led into the Camp and pounced on her sister, who was still curled up, asleep.

"Wake up sleepyhead! I've been out on the Dawn patrol with Embercloud, Jaggedstep, Silverlark and Shadepool! We met a Riverclan patrol but they had nothing on us! We left them staring like they'd just seen a StarClan cat! It was great!" Despite Gustpaw's earlier reluctance to be a part of the Patrol, now it was over she was very excited to tell her littermates all about it, although she couldn't see Cloudpaw. Cinderpaw blinked open her eyes lazily with a groan, batting blindly at her sister.

"Why would you want to wake up so early? I'm so tired…" the grey she-cat trailed off, shutting her blue eyes again. Gustpaw pranced in circles around her, still eager to tell her drowsy sister all about the Patrol.

"And we checked the ThunderClan border, but they weren't there. But RiverClan were! And that apprentice I fought was there! Apparently his name is Streampaw; he was really mean to his Clan-mate. He deserved everything I gave him!" Gustpaw exclaimed, still bounding in circles around her sister, who only twitched an ear. Gustpaw stopped; crestfallen her sister wasn't even interested in her story.

"Fine, you don't want to listen! Where's Cloudpaw, I'll tell him," Gustpaw huffed, green eyes searching for her brother, but finding nothing. Cinderpaw rolled over, flickering her eyes open again to look at her littermate through clouded eyes.

"I think he's in the Nursery talking to Ravenkit. He woke me up going there a few moments ago," she mewed, resentful her brother had disturbed her. However, the grey she-cat finally rose to her feet, swaying slightly as she tried to restrain herself from lying back down again. She groaned, blinking her eyes as they adjusted to the light properly. Gustpaw tilted her head; _the nursery? Why would Cloudpaw want to talk to Ravenkit? _She wondered, giving her sister a lick on the ear before heading towards the nursery to see what her brother was up to. She passed by Duskshadow, who looked slightly confused.

"Another one? Cloudpaw went in looking for Ravenkit earlier, he's still in there. I didn't know Dapplefeather's kits were so attached to the nursery still," the earthy brown Queen commented, glancing down at Gustpaw with piercing gold eyes. Fadedkit peered around his mother's side, looking rather relieved.

"Hey Gustpaw! I saw you going out on the Dawn Patrol. How was it?" The black tom asked cheerfully, padding over to the tortoiseshell as she continued through the tunnel to the Nursery. Gustpaw was pleased to see Fadedkit happier than he was this morning.

"It was great! We met a RiverClan patrol, but they were no harm. I even saw the apprentice I fought in the battle!" Gustpaw explained, her eyes alight as she recalled the event. Fadedkit's eyes widened in awe.

"Wow! I heard you fought so well. I can't wait to become an apprentice too and then maybe I'll finally show my brother up," Fadedkit mewed wistfully, his voice dropping as they neared the two figured that were Ravenkit and Cloudpaw. Gustpaw bounced up to her brother, who turned to look at her with an unreadable expression.

"Hi Cloudpaw, I was wondering where you were! I went on the Dawn Patrol this morning, and it was so exciting!" She announced, twirling in a circle, careful to stop quickly so as not to start conjuring the wind. Cloudpaw hopped up from his sitting position, looking genuinely interested.

"Really? Did you meet any mangy RiverClan cats?" He asked, pouncing at nothing as he imagined jumping on a RiverClan cat.

"Yeah! I even spoke to the cat that attacked me! His name is Streampaw, and he's really mean!" Gustpaw cried, pleased one of her littermates was interested in her story. Cloudpaw gave a growl at the thought of the blue-grey Apprentice.

"I bet he was, all RiverClan cats are horrible! I wish I could have gone on that patrol so I could tear an ear or two," Cloudpaw growled, digging his claw into the earth and raking them along the ground, leaving a small trail. Gustpaw began to think that maybe Cloudpaw was just interested in hearing about RiverClan, not her. Of course he wouldn't care about what _she _did. She flattened her ears as Cloudpaw went off into his own little world, attacking an imaginary RiverClan cat. Gustpaw huffed and turned to Ravenkit, who was glowering in her direction.

"Why are you here Gustpaw? I was having a nice conversation with Cloudpaw when you interrupted!" He grumbled, narrowing his eyes. Fadedkit cuffed his ear, something changing in his eyes.

"Stop being so rude or I'll tell Duskshadow where you went this morning! It's not fair the way you treat everyone!" He scolded his brother, who promptly pounced on him, face set in a snarl. Gustpaw tilted her head and was about to interfere when Cloudpaw jabbed her with a paw.

"Leave the kits to play; let's go and find our mentors," he suggested before scampering away, and Gustpaw could do nothing but follow after, giving a final glance back to the scrapping kits. She shook her head and hoped they'd sort things out. She might get annoyed by her siblings but she'd never had a proper argument with them. She loved them too much for that.

"Gustpaw, Cloudpaw, there you are! We're going for another hunting session whilst Cinderpaw works on her fighting; Dawnsong says she needs some extra training," Timberfur called to them as they emerged from the Nursery. The woody-brown tom beckoned to them with a tail, explaining Embercloud was already at the Training Dip. The two apprentices nodded and bounded after the warrior.

Neither of them noticed Honeyblossom watching Gustpaw from the shadows of her Den with green eyes that weren't full with the usual spite and contempt. They were filled with fear.

**And that sucked. That chapter really went nowhere, didn't it? Just some more Faded and Raven conflict and the introduction of Streampaw's name. Plus some more playing around with Cinder and Cloud since I still don't have set characters for him. Cloudpaw loves to show-off but I think he's nice really. Cinderpaw is just a little weedy, and she'll make for a very grumpy elder x3 Anyway, sorry for this plot-stalling chapter but I'll try pick up the pace with some thrilling hunting next chapter :D And yes, I changed my name again, sorry. I didn't like having numbers and I love tribe names. This AN is too long, ta-ta! Oh, and review to get a Silverlark plushie, because I like her! ~Si :3**


	10. Strangers

**Si forgot again. But Si likes to procrastinate, waste time and sit around doing nothing except RP. Si apologises and hopes she can mould an epic chapter for you all, and whilst procrastinating she had started to write a terrible parody which she should never show in public. But she might just. Enough talking about myself in the 3****rd**** person, onwards with the chapter!**

Strangers

Gustpaw bounded after the retreating Timberfur, Cloudpaw hurrying close behind, almost nipping at her paws as she tried to catch up. He was always trying to compete with her. Gustpaw shook her head, and she couldn't resist, with a flick of her tail she sent a blast of wind slamming into Cloudpaw's face, making him slow down considerably, and leaving Gustpaw to charge ahead, satisfied. She knew she shouldn't abuse her talent, but how could she resist using it to beat her brother? The white-patched tom huffed and bolted forward again, the unnatural gust of wind gone. A confused expression crossed Cloudpaw's face for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened, before picking up the pace, the Training Dip coming in to view over the horizon.

The sun had risen far over the distant horizon now, the morning quickly falling away into afternoon. The ginger pelt of Embercloud came into view, but the she-cat did not notice them; she was watching Cinderpaw circling her mentor, determination clear in her blue eyes. Timberfur trotted over, calling to the ginger she-cat, who spun around, almost surprised by the tom's sudden appearance. She gave a sigh and shuffled over to him, pausing as the two apprentices caught up, panting. Cloudpaw didn't look happy, but Gustpaw looked rather smug. If she was just careful how obvious she was about using her talent, she could abuse it as much as she liked. No-one was telling her otherwise, and she wouldn't _hurt _anyone. Pleased with this conclusion, Gustpaw focused her attention on her mentor and Timberfur, motioning for her and her brother to follow them out into the vast, open moors. Her home.

It was a beautiful New-Leaf day, the sun sending soft rays cascading down, light dancing across Gustpaw's tortoiseshell-and-white pelt as she scurried after the two warriors again, Cloudpaw keeping level with her this time. She lifted her tail, tempted to send another gust of wind rushing into Cloudpaw, but decided against it, not wanting to risk suspicion again. It wasn't long before the two mentors halted, and the apprentices followed suit, staring expectantly up at their mentors for today's hunting challenge. Embercloud only glared at Gustpaw, who dropped her gaze to the floor uneasily. There was no winning over her scornful mentor. Timberfur, however, stood proud, tail quivering in the breeze, staring at the two young cats with eyes full of the excitement of a kit.

"Today, you'll be honing your stalking skills and learning to pay more attention to the wind's direction. If you're downwind when stalking prey, they'll be able to smell you several fox-lengths away," Timberfur explained, lifting his head to the breeze, trying to pinpoint its exact direction. Gustpaw always paid attention to the wind; she couldn't help it, she felt every slight change in direction, every time it picked up speed. It was little irritating, always being aware of the wind's path. Embercloud grunted, opening her jaw slightly, scenting the air for prey. Cloudpaw hopped from paw to paw, eager to get started, probably eager to upstage his sister, too. Gustpaw suppressed a grumble and waited for further command from her reluctant mentor.

"Well? Off you go; we're not going to direct you to the prey this time, you can do that yourselves. Gustpaw, you're first, go on!" Embercloud ordered, flicking her tail in the direction of the endless rolling hills, flicking her ears impatiently. Gustpaw gulped and scampered off, opening her mouth to try and pick up the scent of a rabbit, narrowing her eyes as she searched the grass for any movement.

What she saw next was definitely _not _a rabbit.

The scent hit her first; an unfamiliar but not unpleasant scent. It was sweet and light, like the distant scent of catmint carried over on a breeze. Next, smudges appeared over the hill, true shapes becoming clearer as they advanced towards Gustpaw, who stumbled backwards, terror striking through her chest, quickening her heart and flattening her ears. She bounded back towards her Clan-mates, yowling as she went.

"Intruders! Strangers, over the hill!" she called, voice shaking as she skidded to an uneasy halt beside Embercloud, who sprang to her paws, glancing to Timberfur before charging forward, the brown tom following soon behind, face set in a snarl. Timberfur had the patience of a Saint when he was with his Clan-mates, but he was notorious for his lack of thought when faced with a threat.

"Stop!" a voice rang across the hills, not coming from any of WindClan cats, but from one of the distant smudges. Timberfur and Embercloud slowed their pace, confused. The distant shapes became the forms of three cats, all with a similar soul-piercing look in their eyes. Cloudpaw was trembling uncontrollably, curling into a ball in a feeble attempt to protect himself. Gustpaw stood, petrified, unsure of who these cats were and what they wanted. Rouges and loners usually travelled alone, so who were these strange cats? Not only that, but they held themselves with a certain purpose, one that proved they meant business.

The first cat to come into proper focus was a pale grey long-haired tom with depthless blue eyes, still and calm like the waters of the Moon-Pool. He seemed to be leading the group, slightly ahead of the other two cats, his tail billowing out behind him like a string of falling feathers. The second cat was another tom that had similar blue eyes, but he seemed a little more edgy, her gaze flitting from left to right. He had an earthy brown face, ears and paws and the rest of his fur was an uneven cream colour, ruffled and uncared for, matching the flustered air the tom seemed to give off. The last cat was a she-cat, with golden brown fur and exotic, dark bronze-brown marks splotched across her slight frame. Her eyes were shining golden amber, giving away no emotions or feelings at all. She walked with a more sensible air than the Siamese tom, seeming far more level-headed and laid-back. In the time it took Gustpaw to take in the appearances of the three strange cats, they had reached the point where Embercloud and Timberfur were standing. They gave no hint of aggression.

"We're here for the Sylph," the pale grey cat announced, sharp blue eyes boring into Embercloud's unchanging composed gaze. Gustpaw winced at the very sight of the tom's striking glare, but the ginger she-cat didn't even flinch. Clearly, she had met her match. The two glowered at each other for a moment, before the tom spoke again.

"The Sylph, hand her over. We need her," the tom snapped, switching his gaze to look at Timberfur, whose fur was prickling, his tail puffed up to twice its size. He snarled, hiding the utter confusion in his eyes as the tom demanded something he was quite sure they didn't have. Gustpaw tiled her head, both terrified and puzzled. What was a 'Sylph'? If she could, she would have sent a tornado spinning in their direction; maybe that would scare them off. However, she dreaded her Clan-mates' reaction too much to do it.

"We don't know what you're talking about. We don't have a 'Sylph', so you call it," Embercloud snapped, a low growl forming in her throat. The Siamese tom coughed uneasily, nudging the pale grey cat.

"Kashti, are you sure this is the right place? Silarvra didn't mention anything about all these hills…" the Siamese mumbled, quivering as his eyes shifted back and forth between the pale grey tom, apparently called Kashti, and the WindClan cats. Kashti cuffed his ear with a paw and hissed at him, his tail lashing violently. The wind almost moaned as it rushed by.

"We know you have her, hand her over. Now!" Kashti snarled, taking a step forward in warning, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the ground, tearing up the earth surrounding the paw before drawing his attention back to the cats expectantly, his stance threatening. Timberfur snarled, spitting in disgust at the tom, taking a step forward himself, eyes darkening.

"Kashti, darling, she isn't a Sylph; she just has the powers of one. That's why they're confused. They probably don't know what a Sylph is," it was the golden she-cat this time, her voice a smooth, seductive drawl that weaved its way into over Kashti who promptly flattened his ears against his skull, grumbling. The she-cat only rolled her eyes.

"Well, Chasm should have specified this. He's supposed to be the brains of this operation, not the coward," Kashti huffed, glowering at the Siamese, Chasm, who lowered his body to the ground submissively, his eyes wide with fear. The two WindClan warriors stood there, poised to attack, bewildered by the situation unfolding in front of them. Gustpaw was slowly, unsurely, beginning to catch on, creeping forward to get a better view of the whole thing. Cloudpaw refused to move, peeking out from under the cover of his tail, which he had wrapped around his coiled-up body. The Siamese's gaze slid over to her for only a moment before nervously fixating on the ground.

"Fine," Kashti growled, turning his blue eyes back to settle on Embercloud, "we want the cat with the talent." He commanded, taking yet another warning step forward, narrowing his eyes at Embercloud, expecting no response but 'yes'. The ginger she-cat rolled her grey-green eyes, purring in a mocking amusement.

"We have many talented cats here at WindClan, but I don't think we have anyone with a particularly special 'talent', so you call it," she explained, her voice shockingly calm, the she-cat was seemingly unaffected by the whole thing, almost finding the situation _comical._ Timberfur, however, was fuming, ready to spring at any moment, just waiting on the strange cats to attack.

They did.

"Alright, so we'll do this the hard way. Elki, take the tom, Chasm, the two snivelling kits. They look just as scared as you do. We'll force the answer out of them, and remember claws and jaws!" He yowled before landing on Embercloud's back with a powerful spring. She turned around and hissed spitting and yowling, leaping into the air to land on her back, crushing Kashti underneath her weight. Timberfur had pinned down the she-cat before she could even react, and the two were slashing and biting in a flail of claws and teeth. Chasm crept over to the mortified apprentices, trying to look as frightening as his counterparts. A snarl ripped through the air, this time coming from Cloudpaw. Ear still showed clearly in his eyes, but the determination to serve his Clan forced him to his paws and sent him plummeting forward towards the Siamese, who primarily shied away, before leaping forward, paws outstretched, grappling onto the Cloudpaw and slamming him to the ground, rearing up on his hind legs. Cloudpaw went tumbling across the grass, panting heavily. Gustpaw whimpered, backing off slightly. She shook her head; she had to fight! She bunched her hind legs and pounced, claws ripping at the Siamese's back, sending him spitting and yowling as he twisted and writhed underneath the apprentice. He flopped onto his side in an attempt to crush the apprentice, but she leapt away, only to get her tail trapped beneath the Siamese's paw. A smug look crossed his face, only to vanish as Cloudpaw went hurtling into his side, head-butting him with an unexpected force. The Siamese went crashing to the ground, stunned. Cloudpaw leapt on top of him, pinning him down and Gustpaw helped, holding his back legs down so he couldn't tear at Cloudpaw's vulnerable stomach. The Siamese almost howled in protest, struggling with all his might. It was, however, two against on, and even though the apprentice's had barely a Moon's training, the Siamese was weak and overly-wary, admitting defeat far too quickly.

It seemed the apprentices weren't the only ones to succeed. Embercloud stood proudly over Kashti, a triumphant glimmer in her eyes, and Timberfur held the she-cat's head down with a large brown paw, still angry but contented he had prevailed.

"Take them to camp. Elmstar will deal with them further," Embercloud ordered, grabbing Kashti by the scruff his neck and dragging him along the ground like an over-grown kit. The pale grey tom huffed and puffed, trying to wriggle away, but to no avail; he was weakened from the fight and Embercloud's grip with strong. Timberfur grabbed the she-cat and followed after, defiant and smug over his victory, ignoring the indignant whines and curses coming from the golden she-cat. Together, Gustpaw and Cloudpaw grabbed a forepaw each and pulled the Siamese back to Camp, both with fur puffed up in pride. The Siamese did not struggle like his companions, whimpering occasionally, looking bedraggled and extremely frightened.

"I can't believe that just happened! Chasm, how did you let two _kits_ beat you? Sitarvra is going to be furious!" Kashti moaned, only to get a glower from Embercloud. Chasm shook his head pitifully, opening and closing his mouth as he attempted to think of an excuse.

"I-it was two against one, Kashti! I-I didn't mean- Sitarvra should have given us more details! How are we going to know who it is?" Chasm retorted, anger flaring up in his voice as he slid uncomfortably across the ground as the apprentices tugged at his forepaws.

"Please, Chasm, don't blame it on Sitarvra, you're supposed to be intelligent! Why don't you just figure out who it is with that massive intellect of yours?" Snarled the golden-brown she-cat, yelping as Timberfur bit down harder on her scruff, as if commanding her to be quiet. All three intruders fell silent, eyes burning with anger and the disappointment of defeat. The WindClan cats, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased with themselves.

On arriving back at Camp, the parade got several stunned looks from their Clan-mates, a few growls rising from the cats mingling about the camp, dropping their pieces of prey and conversations to watch the two mentors and their apprentices drag the strangers into camp, past the onlookers and into the Leader's den, an abandoned Badger's Set at the far end of the dip that served as WindClan's open-air camp. Timberfur entered first, dropping the she-cat at his feet, who landed with an indignant thump and a grunt. Elmstar's eyes widened, confusion crossing her face for only a moment before she looked at Timberfur with a curious concern.

"Timberfur, who are these cats?" the leader asked, tilting her head slightly as she raked her gaze over the three strangers, peering at them with crystal blue eyes that shined with an unreadable gaze, the kind of look that was mixed with such wisdom and tainted memory it was hard to pick out some actual emotion. Timberfur lashed his tail, anger still present in his amber eyes, b=making them shine bright and harsh like the hot sun in Green-leaf.

"We found these three approaching us in the moors, demanding a 'Sylph' or something strange like that. We refused and they attacked. We don't even have what they looking for," Timberfur explained with a hint of a sneer in his voice as he glowered down at the collapsed she-cat, who returned the favour without hesitation. Elmstar nodded slowly, lifting a single silver paw to give it a few thoughtful licks. Gustpaw watched in pure interest as she wondered what the leader was going to do with the strangers.

"I see," was all she uttered, placing her paw down again and coiling her striped tail around it, "well, shall we hear them speak? Then you can take them down to the edge of the territory and see them off." she continued, shifting her gaze down to Kashti, who was writhing under Embercloud's grip, absolutely livid with rage, eyes blazing with the pure indignation of being defeated and then addressed like _this_. He spat at Elmstar.

"We need the special cat! We were lead here under trusted supervision, you can't hide her forever!" Kashti snapped, wriggling hopelessly beneath Embercloud, who stared down at the grey tom with a smug expression. There was no getting past the defiant ginger warrior. Elmstar tilted her head, not familiar with the cat Kashti was explaining. Honeyblossom never told her.

"I've heard enough. They clearly have the wrong place. Take them away, make sure they leave," Elmstar decided, voice cool and collected, not an emotion showing in her soft blue eyes, full of knowledge that far surpassed her youthful appearance. Timberfur gave an eager nod, and Elmstar dismissed them with an elegant wave of her tail.

"Well done to the apprentices, too. Far too many fights lately, though…" she added with a wink to Gustpaw and her brother, who restrained from squealing in the excitement of being complimented by their leader. Elmstar let out a small, almost inaudible sigh as she watched the group of cats drag the intruders from her den. In that instant, she knew it:

Honeyblossom had done it again. That lying, sneaking medicine cat was hiding something. She knew the golden she-cat's skills were unique and astounding but she her habits in keeping everything, even _prophecies _to herself were almost insufferable. Elmstar shook her head, watching the small patrol of cats disappear over the slope.

**What the hell was that? O.o I even changed point of views at the end. I thought that was quite smooth actually, in a stupid and useless way. I just couldn't resist, when you don't have a set plot line and you love Kashti so hard you have to include him. Look, I know I poofed but I feel just so… ugh. I'm stuck in a rut and I honestly can't find anything to get me out. Nothing is going my way IRL at the moment. God I feel awful. I should have finished this later so it wouldn't suck quite so bad but I feel guilty leaving you people hanging, especially since I got some lovely reviews. Big thanks to XxBlazestormxX, Hawkpaw and Dawnpaw for all their reviews on last chapter. You have no idea just how much it means to me getting reviews. It makes my day and I really need that right now. I know there is LOADS to critique and yes, I haven't proof read yet, but I will. But if you wish to offer criticism, which I do appreciate, then please, I know I sound pathetic, be kind. I don't want to melt into a weeping pool of slush thanks very much. Thank you all so much, Silent :3**


	11. Wind on the Wing

**Gah. Delay. Now, I usually procrastinate over this, but now I am using this to procrastinate over my French Work. Anyway, I'm surprised none of you asked what a Sylph was. It's is a real thing (kind of) I have done my research into the topics surrounding this story like a good child. I'm not going to tell you because it's no fun, but you can look it up. If you do know, don't tell anyone; it'll ruin the surprise! :O It's fairly obvious though. I'm tempted to rename this story 'Essence of the Wind' but I'm lazy at the moment. Now, what excitement will Gustpaw get up to in this chapter? Yeah, I don't know either. Lead the way my main character friend!**

Wind on the Wing

Gustpaw was getting sick of all these unpleasant surprises.

First, it was spiteful Ravenkit spying on her practising, and then it was the three intruders. As Gustpaw slumped out of Camp, glaring sullenly up at the sun edging its way upwards in the sky, she pondered just what those strange cats had meant by 'Sylph'. She had terrible feeling they were talking about her, but she didn't even know what a Sylph was! With a lash of her tail, the tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice was sent tumbling to the ground with a hiss of annoyance due to the sudden gust of wind she accidentally conjured up. Why had StarClan bestowed these pointless powers on _her_? They were only a hindrance, a secret that was difficult to keep, desperate to burst from its cage, rattling at the mental chains it had latched around it. She wished she could tell her siblings, her mother, her mentor, but the very idea of being shunned made her shudder. She was too weak, too afraid to admit to being anything but average. It was easier that way, being average. She could still upstage her brother and WindClan could still win battles so what was the use in having her talent? If only StarClan could give her a sign. Had Honeyblossom received one? Did the bitter she-cat know? Gustpaw shook her head, the smell of the distant forest growing stronger as she wandered towards the ThunderClan border unintentionally. She began to grow bored of thinking so hard about these things, so she turned her attention to the looming border, wondering if any ThunderClan cats enjoyed the morning sun like she did. She would be practising but since the Ravenkit incident she had decided not to do so for the time being.

With the border a few tail-lengths away, Gustpaw paused to watch the birds flitting through the trees, fascinated by their little wings fluttering as they coasted over the bushes, shooting through the trees and gliding across the sky with an amazing grace. _They must be quite hard to catch_ mused Gustpaw to herself as she took another step toward the border, eye training on a sparrow darting through the leaves, shadowed by the branches which were stooping under the weight of thick green leaves. The sparrow shot straight out the trees and right over to Gustpaw, zooming past her head with a whooshing sound. It curved around in an arc, flitting around the apprentice's head for a moment before disappearing back into the ThunderClan forest. Gustpaw tilted her head to one side, her ears twitching as the sparrow vanished form view, delving deep into the forest. Shrugging it off, she turned around and began to make her way back to camp with a skip to her step; hopefully she could train today without any interruptions.

Although she was satisfied with the peace of the early morning, the soft sunlight dancing across her fur and the calm breeze caressing her with a cool touch, Gustpaw was on high alert, almost expecting something or someone unexpected to come into view. With all that had been happening lately, it wouldn't surprise her at all if something happened to her between now and returning back to camp. With a small sigh, Gustpaw picked up her pace, tilting her head up to stare at the sky, a delicate blue with puffy white clouds smudged across it, faintly outlined by the rising sun.

"Good morning Gustpaw!" a cheerful yowl came from a few fox lengths away, and Gustpaw turned her face down to look at the approaching figure, that of the Deputy, Robinwing. The brown tom was full of energy at all points in the day, perhaps a little too much energy, for he was known to be a little jumpy and flighty. However, he made an excellent, compassionate Deputy because he was just the kind of cat you can always relate to and empathise with. He bounced over to Gustpaw, her dark-flecked pelt glistening in the pale light.

"Oh, good morning Robinwing," Gustpaw replied, her tone bright but a little shocked the Deputy was out of his nest too. Robinwing gazed past her for moment, over to the distant forest, before turning to look at the apprentice again, his ears turning in various directions as he listened to the world around him.

"I'm surprised you're up so early. Is Embercloud scaring you into making sure you're awake before her? That would be a new low for her if she's frightening her apprentice that much. I have to make sure I'm awake because I'm on Dawn Patrol today. As is your father, actually; I would encourage Dawnsong to take her apprentice along too but Stormwhisker would probably never stop asking questions about how things are going and that might get on the rest of the patrol's nerves, hm?" another thing about Robinwing was that he talked rather a lot, and Gustpaw stared at him in some sort of awe, never considering the Deputy would bother to stop and speak to an apprentice for more than a quick exchange of 'Good Morning'.

"No, I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Although, I do consider evading Embercloud's wrath as part of it," she replied with some jest in her voice, "I was on Dawn Patrol yesterday and we met a RiverClan patrol," she added, eager to tell anyone about the encounter with the rival Clan yesterday. When Robinwing mentioned her father she was surprised; she hadn't spoken to her father in quite a while. No doubt the curious Tom would pay her and her littermates a visit soon. Unlike Shadepool, Stormwhisker was actually interested in the lives of his kits. Robinwing interrupted her thoughts with a deep, rumbling purr.

"I did hear about that patrol, and also about your interrupted hunting session. Strange intruders, weren't they? I'm sure you gave them something to think about, eh? I'm sure they won't be coming back here in a while," he mewed with whiskers twitching in amusement, his eyes sparkling with a sense of youth which was unusual to see in a cat of his rank. Although, Robinwing was quite young for a Deputy and many members of the Clan had been surprised when he was chosen, so Gustpaw had heard. She was not alive when Birchstar died. It was true that the tom made a good deputy, but there was still talk that he just wasn't mature enough. All the same, WindClan stood just as tall as ever. It wasn't hard to have enough sense to be able to organise patrols and Robinwing was a swift fighter and effortless hunter. Why did it even matter? Gustpaw didn't mind so long as an intimidating cat like Shadepool or Embercloud didn't become Deputy, or worse, leader. She would be too afraid to show her face ever again.

By the time she pulled herself away from her thoughts and back to stare into the wide eyes of Robinwing, he looked fidgety, ready to go. He was known for his short attention span. He gave her a final nod before beginning his way further away from the camp, following a similar route to the one Gustpaw had just taken.

"You know, Gustpaw," he called after her as he trotted away, "it takes a while for us all to understand why we really have the names we do. I hope you understand why you have yours one day," with those final mysterious words, he was gone, vanishing over the hills, out towards the ThunderClan border. What he would do when there was something she did not know. Dawn Patrol would be ready to leave soon. She pondered Robinwing's last piece of information, about understanding the real meaning behind her name. Gustpaw immediately wondered if he knew about her talent; she could control _gusts_ of wind. Or perhaps he was referring to his own name. But what did the Deputy have to do with Robins? Gustpaw brushed it off; he was probably just trying to sound wise for once. With a small snort, Gustpaw set off in a steady bound back to Camp, where Embercloud would probably be waiting.

Sure enough, the ginger shape of her mentor was pacing up and down the camp, looking across the sleeping Clan in search of her apprentice. Gustpaw flattened her ears, fear rising through her chest, and hurried over, skidding to a halt in front of Embercloud. The warrior snorted, unimpressed.

"Where have you been?" she snapped, staring down at her apprentice with an unreadable expression. Gustpaw's green gaze dropped to the ground, shuffling her paws nervously under the burning stare of Embercloud. It was so early, why was she so concerned? Dawnsong was on Dawn Patrol and Timberfur was still asleep, as were her siblings. Why did Embercloud have to be so cruel?

"I was outside exploring the territory. I even saw Robinwing and he didn't seem to mind," she whimpered in response, almost expecting some sort of beating from the fierce she-cat. Embercloud snorted again, her tail twitching in agitation.

"You saw Robinwing. And you think that makes it okay?" Embercloud practically muttered in response, keeping her voice low and dangerously calm.

"It's so early! None of the other apprentices are even awake yet! Dawnsong is going on patrol and Timberfur is fast asleep like the rest of the Clan!" Gustpaw complained, her voice a defensive but trembling hiss, quiet and careful not to disturb her sleeping Clan mates. Embercloud let out a long, hissing outtake of breath.

"We have had many battles and intruders lately. It isn't safe for an apprentice to go out in the territory alone. Besides, don't you want to get ahead of your siblings? I would have thought some extra fighting practise would please you," Embercloud replied sourly, her tail falling still and her ears perking forward, staring at Gustpaw was an expectant expression. The warrior certainly knew her Clan-mates, even if they didn't know her as anything but 'the bitter one'. Gustpaw lifted her gaze, nodding cautiously.

"Oh, then, y-yes, I would like some extra training. Especially with all we've encountered," she added, her voice shaking slightly, but there was a determination in her eyes. She wanted to be WindClan's greatest warrior, and not because of her stupid wind-controlling talent. So she sprung to her feet and scampered after Embercloud, who was already strutting out of camp, tail waving behind her as if to signify Gustpaw to follow.

It was a short but awkward walk between Camp and the Training Dip, and Gustpaw hung her head in shame, wishing she could impress her mentor somehow. It was just Embercloud too; her parents were proud of her and even Dawnsong and Timberfur weren't afraid to offer her praise when they trained together. Gustpaw was on the verge of giving up; there seemed to be absolutely no pleasing the ginger warrior.

"Okay, today I'll be teaching you a handy move to use against bigger opponents," Embercloud announced as they reached the training dip, standing in the centre of the round area, motioning Gustpaw over with a flick of her ears. Gustpaw curried over, green eyes wide and eager to do whatever Embercloud wished her to. There was no point in rebelling, so Gustpaw decided on training as hard as she could in hopes of one day getting some sort of approval out of her. So she nodded enthusiastically, proving she was listening intently to every word the warrior spoke.

"Here's how it's going to go; you are in battle and a bigger opponent is coming towards you. Usually, they will leap at you in some way and attempt to pin you down. Once they have succeeded in this, due to their bigger size, you will have little hopes of shoving them off. So it is best to avoid this happening all together. When they are charging toward you, feint to one side," Embercloud hopped to her left in a demonstration, "then dive for either their back, or slip underneath them swiftly to deal a blow to their belly. Either way, be careful of your opponent attempting to crush you under their weight. If you leap onto their back, they may come crashing down onto their backs and thus squishing you underneath them. And if you are too slow sliding underneath them, they can easily immobilise you by quite literally sitting on you." It was a lot to take in for just one type of move, but Gustpaw listened very carefully, trying to picture herself preforming the move in her head. She had trouble concentrating on each word she spoke, finding herself drifting off into t dream of preforming a battle sequence. Once Embercloud had finished, Gustpaw nodded vigorously, proving she fully understood everything, although she was not so sure she did. But she couldn't tell Embercloud that.

"Alright, let's give it a try. I'll come towards me, and you try on the techniques I just explained," Embercloud ordered, and without a further warning charged toward Gustpaw, who leapt to her paws in shock of Embercloud's fast action, and bolted to the side, narrowly missing the ginger she-cat cannoning into her. She slipped under her belly, but stumbled, paws flailing as she dealt a badly-aimed blow to her belly. It hit, but not in the ideal spot Gustpaw was aiming for, and as Gustpaw was wriggling out, Embercloud slapped a paw on her tail, holding her down. The apprentice struggled and writhed around on the ground, but Embercloud held her down easily, staring at her with an expression that showed a hint of some sort of amusement. The small tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat lay still, admitting defeat. Her gaze dropped to her dirt-dusted paws, the white of them stained a faint brown colour. But the state of her fur was the least of her worries; she turned to look at Embercloud, expecting to receive her full wrath. But the warrior only shook her head, tutting.

"Too slow and hesitant; you need to act fast and act precisely," she explained simply, but Gustpaw was unconvinced; how could she react that fast? She had been an apprentice for a barely a moon! But she nodded quickly, as if to say she understood and could improve fast, though she was not so sure. Embercloud looked fairly pleased with her reaction.

"Okay, so let's try it again. Be ready this time," with that, Embercloud was off once again, hurtling toward Gustpaw who leapt out the way more out of shock and instinct that actual tactic, and pounced onto Embercloud's back, having difficultly gripping without the use of claws, tail lashing as she tried to hold on, flinging her paws around her mentor's neck as some sort of hold. The wind went wild, blowing in all directions as Gustpaw lost control, her tail never ceasing and her concentrating so hard on keeping on Embercloud she let it go wherever it wished. Embercloud swayed and stumbled due to the wind knocking her forcefully in all directions, its harsh strength almost unnatural. She flopped to the ground, sending Gustpaw crashing down with a thud, her forepaws trapped under the warrior's weight. With a swift movement, Embercloud flipped over onto her stomach and gripped both of Gustpaw's forepaws with her own, and looking down at her with a piercing green gaze, hiding some sort of confusion.

"It appears the wind was on your side, but you were too slow. You were doing well, but as soon as you feel your opponent falling, leap off! If you're fast enough, you could pin them before they have time to get up. Don't just focus on not getting thrown off," there was a glimmer, a hint of praise in her words, and even that smallest hint maybe Gustpaw's eyes glow with pride. She was getting some sort of positive response out of her! That had to be good, right?

"It was an improvement, you have some good potential. Let's try it one mor-" before Gustpaw could fully register Embercloud's faint words of praise, and before the ginger warrior could even finish what she was saying, Embercloud was interrupted by the sound of distant yowls and the pounding of paws against the ground. Both mentor and apprentice whipped their heads around to see a blurred black and white shape streaking across the moors, one that was small and sickeningly familiar. The shape was being chased by a golden blur tearing after in long, breathless strides, the type of out-of-practise lollop that could only belong to a single cat…

"Follow them!" Embercloud screeched without a second more of thought, cannoning after the two shapes with a confused Gustpaw hurrying behind. What was going on? Both shapes were moving at such a rate it was difficult to determine exactly who was who, but that sickening sense of instinct and horror that was rising in Gustpaw throat, a vile taste that could only mean trouble, told who just who each cat was. But what were they doing streaking across the moors like there was a murderer on the loose? They were heading nearer and nearer to the ThunderClan border, and each showed no signs of stopping, no matter how loud Embercloud yowled after them, paws thundering against the grasslands in pursuit of the two cats.

_Great_ though Gustpaw as she scampered after her mentor, kicking up the wind to help power her forward; she didn't want to get left behind, _yet another unfortunate problem. But why is she chasing him with such a determined fury? _Suppressing a sign and powering forward, Gustpaw squinted, green eyes narrowing into slits, trying to pick out some detail from the two blurred figures charging towards the ThunderClan border, Green eyes studied the shapes as she hurtled towards them, wind howling and moaning as she pushed it to go faster, boosting her speed.

**What a question! Think you can guess which cats they are? I gave you some very obvious hints! But what are they doing? Will Embercloud and Gustpaw step in in time to save the situation? Tune in next time on She who Controls the Wind! LAWL you gotta love a good ol' cliff-hanger. Keep reading, and review, please! Big thank you to XxBlazestormxX, xXEclipseheartXx and Dawnpaw for their lovely reviews!**

**Now, you guys all love Gustpaw, right? I seem to get a lot of positive response from you guys about her. I don't know why; perhaps she's easy to relate to? Now, I was doodling her the other day. And I did a little family tree. Want to see my rubbish doodle of Gusty? Want to know who WindClan's most adorable couple are and who their kits are? Want to know who Elmstar's brother is? Which surprising kitties Honeyblossom is related too? Then I command you, REVIEW! Tell your friends, spread the word and you shall be rewarded with some little background info titbits! I'm totally bribing you guys and it's really fuunn. I get a certain number of reviews from a certain number of people I will show you one of the things I listed above. READY, SET, REVIEW! Oh, and any reviewer gets an Embercloud plushie. Not so friendly, but she's FLUFFY! :D ~Si**


	12. Place the Blame

**What are you talking about, it hasn't been three years since I started this. Okay, it has. Oops? But why come back to it, Si? Because I hate leaving things unfinished, that's why. (oh snap I just rhymed) I have most of the rest of this planned out and it's about to get super weird, super crazy and super exciting and probably not make any sense so hold onto your hats folks, the most disjointed fic ever is going to be finally finished.**

**Also I was too lazy to check this properly sorry. WARNING: horrible grammar ahead, read at your own risk.**

PLACE THE BLAME

Gustpaw raced after her mentor, willing herself to go faster. She pushed the wind more and more, to the point where it stopped obeying her and turned straight against her, sending her tumbling to the ground. Embercloud barely even glanced in her direction, charging after the two streaks of fur heading towards the river. They had to stop soon… Gustpaw shook herself off and hurried in pursuit of Embercloud again, this time leaving her tail to stream behind her, keeping it as still as possible. The wind fell silent, waiting on a command.

She skidded to a halt behind Embercloud just in time to see Ravenkit plunge into the river, a bundle of something clamped tightly in his mouth. Honeyblossom screeched and leapt in after him without delay, leaving the mentor and her apprentice stranded on the river bank, hopelessly confused.

Honeyblossom struggled against the icy fingers of the water that lapped at her sides, but she pushed through the swirling waters and snatched Ravenkit by the scruff, all the time with the look of death upon her face. That was a glare you would _never_ want aimed in your direction. Embercloud perched precariously on the edge, reaching out a forepaw for Honeyblossom to grip onto. Gustpaw stood a few paw steps back, fidgeting nervously, unsure of what to do. She didn't trust herself to blow the wind to aid them, so all she could do was stay out of the problem.

The medicine cat fought valiantly against the waves, managed to move those precious whisker-lengths that closed the gap between her and Embercloud's outstretched paw. Still clutching a writhing Ravenkit in her jaws, her claws connected with Embercloud's foreleg and with a yowl a pain Embercloud heaved the pair of soaking clan-mates out of the river. Gustpaw scurried over to offer a paw, but Embercloud waved her away.

"Go back to camp and tell Robinwing. I know he's about to go on patrol; just go!" Gustpaw stood frozen for a moment, whole body quivering. "Quickly!" Embercloud snapped, jolting the calico apprentice into action, sending her bolting across the moor side, back the way she came. Her paws pounded against the ground, panting furiously as her legs burned with the effort. She was concentrating so hard on running as fast as she could without conjuring a single wisp of wind that she bashed straight into her father.

"Gustpaw! What's got you in such a tizzy?" he exclaimed, staring down at her in concern. She returned his gaze with a wide-eyed look, gasping for air.

"Honeyblossom… Ravenkit… Fell… River…" was all she could splutter out, each word punctuated by shaking breaths. Robinwing appeared from the back of the patrol, Dawnsong's concerned face peering over at her behind him. Shadepool, the final patrol member, trotted up to stand at Stormwhisker's side, head tilted to one side.

"Right, well your father and I will go and help them. Dawnsong and Shadepool can take you back to camp," Robinwing swiftly decided, winking at Gustpaw before whisking Stormwhisker off towards the river, the two toms falling in step beside each other, rapidly disappearing over the hill. Shadepool grunted, not even given the time to protest, and turned tail and began trudging back to camp without a glance at Gustpaw. He seemed unfazed his son had fallen in the river. Dawnsong blinked down at the apprentice, eyes brimming with concern.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked, inspecting Gustpaw's face carefully. Gustpaw could only nod, avoiding her gaze lest she reveal how shaken she was. But why was she so shaken? It was nothing to do with her. Still, it unnerved her, the thought of a kit angering Honeyblossom so much it caused her to chase him. She didn't think even Ravenkit was capable of that, yet… That medicine cat was terrifying, Gustpaw concluded, even more so than Embercloud. And Ravenkit, well, he was more devious than she had suspected. How his brother put up with him she didn't know.

_Fadedkit!_ Gustpaw suddenly remembered. Maybe he knew something about this weird occurrence. She would have broken into a run but Shadepool and Dawnsong were still padding silently beside her and she didn't want to seem too jittery. So she walked with them as calmly as she could, though her whiskers were still quivering when they made it back to camp.

"Thank you," she muttered quickly to the two warriors before speeding off to the nursery before they could say a word to her. Inside, Duskshadow looked distraught and Fadedkit like he was about to drop dead. Gustpaw rushed to his side, staring into his golden eyes meaningfully.

"Fadedkit, what happened? Why was Honeyblossom chasing Ravenkit?" he probably didn't know and if he did he'd probably be too scared to say. Fadedkit's heart was in the right place but he was to cowardly to put it to good use most of the time. Gustpaw stared and stared at him intensely but he only quivered under her gave, unable to speak a single word.

Gustpaw was growing impatient, "come on, Fadedkit, for StarClan's sake!" she snapped, stamping her paw against the ground. A sudden snap of wind caught Fallenkit in the jaw and sent him staggering backwards, his eyes growing even wider and more fearful.

Duskshadows head whipped around and her eyes clapped on Gustpaw. "No, I… I didn't… the wind…" _no, I didn't mean to,_ Gustpaw begged inside her head. She was just impatient to figure out the Ravenkit mystery, so hadn't wanted to hurt Fallenkit but the stupid wind was too keen to follow her paw's commands.

"Get out, Gustpaw, leave my kit alone," Duskshadow snarled, backing Gustpaw towards the entrance. The calico apprentice pleaded and apologised a thousand times but the Queen didn't once show any sign of letting her stay, so eventually Gustpaw had no other choice but to turn tail and run. Again.

She had done at least ten circuits of the whole camp by the time they came back. Honeyblossom trudged beside Stormwhisker, dripping, whilst Robinwing held a sopping Ravenkit in his jaws. Embercloud brought up the rear, her expression unreadable. Duskshadow appeared from the nursery almost immediately and rushed to Robinwing, licking Ravenkit frantically as soon as he lowered him to the ground. Gustpaw watched tentatively, not daring to go near Duskshadow after she had almost lashed out at her. So she waited on the other side of camp, straining her ears to listen to their conversation.

"That brat… poppy seeds…" was all she could pick out as Honeyblossom loomed over Duskshadow, expression hard and accusatory. Duskshadow made no signs of being apologetic or intimidated by the medicine cat and glared right back, shooting back some cruel-sounding words Gustpaw couldn't quite make out.

"He almost scratched me," it was Fadedkit, who had slipped silently beside her, still trembling. Gustpaw's head whipped round to meet his eyes, blinking.

"Why?" she should probably apologise for the wind, but… he couldn't know it was her. She hadn't meant to anyway, what was there to be sorry for? The fact some cruel twist of fate had landed her with this impossible ability? No. She wouldn't say sorry to anyone for _that_. She was the one who deserved to be apologised to.

"I don't k-know," Fadedkit whimpered, gaze stuck to the ground, "he seemed so, so… determined, so angry, even more so than usual… he said he had to 'make her sleep and sleep deep' or something and when I tried to stop him leaving he jumped on me and unsheathed his claws…" he trailed off, too terrified by just recounting the scene. Gustpaw pitied him; Cloudpaw might be a show-off but he wasn't a bully and Cinderpaw would never hurt a fly. Fadednkit was the most meek cat there was and he plagued by his overpowering brother every moment of the day. At least he was going to be an apprentice soon and then he could spend more time away from him and more time with Gustpaw and her siblings.

"It's not your fault," was all Gustpaw could offer, gaze falling onto Ravenkit and the rest of the group. Shadepool had appeared now too and seemed to be restraining Duskshadow, whilst Robinwing was having a quiet word with Honeyblossom. Ravenkit sat below all the drama still dripping wet and looking horribly confused. Embercloud was nowhere to been seen.

It didn't make sense. Why didn't anything ever seem to make sense? Gustpaw felt like her whole life had been a series of confusing misfortunes ever since she had discovered that she had this useless ability. And she hated it. Why her? What did she do wrong? Why not give the ability to Cloudpaw so he could show off about it? Everyone would love him. They wouldn't love _her_ if she revealed her power. They'd kill her.

_Kill me_, the thought lingered in Gustpaw's mind, eyes glazing over as she consumed herself in her own thoughts, _they would. They'd think that I'm some sort of freak and they'd kill me so I didn't put anyone in danger._ Was it melodramatic, to think that? Gustpaw didn't think so. This talent of hers was going to cause her nothing but trouble, she could feel it. She had to find a way to get rid of it.

But how?

"Gustpaw!" Fadedkit was nudging her with a white-tipped paw worriedly, looked at her with those huge golden eyes she always thought she might drown in. There was so much feeling glowing in those two shining orbs, so much fear. They were a lake no one was allowed to breach.

"What? I… sorry. I was thinking," Gustpaw murmured, shaking her head to snap herself out of her reverie, turning to face him properly. He averted her gaze. Fadedkit's gaze with deeper than the Moonpool but Gustpaw's was piercing as sunlight and brighter than dew and it was too much for Fadedkit. Most things to do with eye contact were too much for Fadednkit, but it was Gustpaw's eyes that always unnerved him the most; they contained something infinitely unreadable and unendingly compelling.

"Fadedkit, do you who he was talking about? Who this 'her' was he wanted to sleep deeply?" a thought had suddenly occurred to her and she wasn't sure whether she liked it. Maybe she was assuming too much… no, she couldn't be too cautious these days, when every movement created a new mystery.

Fadedkit was so fixed on the ground he turned his whole head to face it, refusing to even glace at the apprentice, "he… he said… he said…" she could barely understand his voice it was trembling so much.

"Said what?" Gustpaw asked urgently, turning her whole body to face him, "said _what?"_

"The one… the Gust," now he turned to face her and eyes were two orbs of undiluted fear, "that's _you._"

She wasn't even surprised. Honestly she didn't even know if she was capable of being surprised anymore, after all these ridiculous events that kept happening. Still, it brought a whole new batch of questions to claw at her insides. She was surprised her whole body wasn't in ribbons from all the turmoil the constant stream of questions had been causing.

"He didn't tell me why," Fadedkit added before Gustpaw could find words of reply, his eyes returning to fix on the earth. Just another missing piece to the picture, then. The calico looked over at the black tom, gaze softening. He was so innocent. Life wasn't fair; it always seem to pick on the harmless ones.

"It's okay," Gustpaw tried, scuffing the earth with a paw, "just another thing that doesn't make sense," she sighed bitterly, focus drifting back over to Ravenkit and company. Only Shadepool, Duskshadow and their kit were left now and Shadepool's scolding was loud enough to be heard all over camp.

"Do you think life is some sort of _joke_, Ravenkit?" he snarled, leaning down so his black face was right next to Ravenkit's own, "think you can do what you like because you're oh-so-little, oh-so-cute? Guess what, life doesn't work like that. Get your act together or you'll get left behind." He drew in a sharp breath, leaning in even closer, until all Ravenkit could probably even see was his father's face and his dark, dark eyes made of liquid rage.

"And we don't wait for anyone," he was gone before Duskshadow could stop him, though she tried. She shouted after him as he charged out of camp, her voice a desperate wail. Gustpaw could barely see Ravenkit from her position, but even from where she was standing she could practically feel the fear rolling off of him.

"I'm sorry, Fadedkit," Gustpaw offered, glancing to her side to see the kit's reaction, but he was gone. In his place was the dreadful figure of WindClan's medicine cat, fur plastered to her skin in such a way that she looked almost monstrous. The venomous look in her eyes only enhanced the effect.

She locked eyes with Gustpaw, her gaze hypnotising. Then she leaned closer to the apprentice's face just as Shadepool has done to Ravenkit moments before and said these words, "this is your fault, you know. I don't know how and I don't know why but this is your fault and you know it."

And Gustpaw knew she was right.

**If anybody has just read this all from the beginning try not to be disappointed by the fact my writing has actually gotten worse over three years. It was never very good to begin with but now I'm more out of practice than ever and wow that was something special right there. Though at least now I've learnt how to actually keep a plotline moving because I could have basically cut half if not all of those early chapters. If anyone is still with me, however, prepare yourselves because things are about to get crazy random, crazy dramatic and crazy complicated and I'm really quite excited (I already said that at the beginning, didn't I? Oh well).**

**About 4 years on this website and my ANs are still too long. Old habits die hard.**


	13. Dream Eater

**Thanks to ****Silverlightning97**** for the review :3 And now, my friends, the confusing and mildly exciting stuff begins.**

DREAM EATER

All she could see was black.

"Hello?" she called, blinking in confusion, trying to pick out some sort of detail from the never-ending darkness. She could see her paws, so she was not blind, but aside from herself there was no other detail but black.

A sound suddenly burst out from the abyss, making Gustpaw jump. "Ugh, _finally_. Good gracious darling I thought this would never work. Scenery needs work though…" the voice was male and jovial but unfamiliar. Then in the blink of an eye there was a brown tabby tom standing in front of her, staring at her gleefully.

"Brilliant, we're both here all visible and everything. I never was good at Dream State, but look at this!" he bobbed his head in self-congratulation, his amber eyes still fixed on Gustpaw.

She didn't understand. Of course she didn't; she was standing her in pitch darkness with a strange cat. Nothing made sense. He said Dream State… was she dreaming? It felt so real…

"Speechless? I know, I know, it's pretty amazing. I'm first to master dreamwalking, I hope you know. Everyone else took so-" he cut himself off suddenly, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, you must be horribly confused, dear. I'm Jolana and we don't have much time. I can already feel myself being ripped out of your dream…" he trailed off, swaying slightly and trying to grip earth that wasn't there with his claws, shaking his head again.

"Jolana…" Gustpaw repeated, her voice a tremble, "You're not a Clan cat. What are you doing in my dream?" at least he couldn't hurt her. You couldn't get hurt in dreams; her mother had told her that when she was kit after she woke from a nightmare one night. This cat could not harm her. That comforted Gustpaw slightly, though she was still highly suspicious. First to master 'dreamwalking'? First out of whom, exactly? And how does one learn dreamwalking anyway?

Before she could ask any of these questions Jolana was off again, but this time his tone was serious, "listen, as I said we haven't got much time. The other group are already in the area and they seem to have more insight into the situation then we do. You have to leave as soon as you wake_._ Athena screwed up the possession with that kit and now he knows. I knew I shouldn't have trusted her…" he stamped at the darkness, muttering something to himself about 'salamanders'.

"You're lying!" she shouted suddenly, shaking her head violently, "you're lying. This isn't _real_. You're just some figment of my imagination telling me my biggest fears have come true. You're _lying!"_ she yowled again, flying at the tom with claws unsheathed. It was _her_ dream. She controlled the outcome.

But the tom slid swiftly out of her reach before she could even get close to touching him. He snorted, all the amusement gone from his expression. "You think this is just a _dream_? I wish it was, little kitten, but it isn't. You're putting lives at stake here and not just pretty little disposable dream-cat lives, _real ones_. I am _not _lying and you are not safe here anymore. You never were."

Her eyes snapped open.

"You can't say that!" she screamed, leaping to her feet. But the tom was gone and all around he the sounds of her clan-mates waking up all around her snapped her back to reality. Green eyes focused again and she found herself standing in the apprentice's dip, gasping for breath.

"What in StarClan's name Gustpaw?" mumbled her brother sleepily, staring up at her with weary eyes. Cinderpaw was stirring beside her as well, muttering something about whether it was time to get up yet.

"I'm sorry. Bad dream. Go back to sleep," Gustpaw muttered hurriedly, coiling herself back up again next to her siblings. Cloudpaw rolled his eyes.

"You've been having a lot of those recently," he grumbled, shutting his eyes again. Gustpaw supressed a defensive growl, tilting her head in confusion.

"What do you mean? I don't remember dreaming anything recently."

"Well you've been thrashing around every night for ages. I didn't ask you about it because I assumed they really distressed you and talking about them would only upset you." It was mildly endearing that he would think of her well-being like that but still, he could have told her. She wasn't fragile like their sister Cinderpaw. But she wasn't about to blame her brother on anything at this moment; he wasn't the focus of her anxiety right now. Why hadn't she remembered any of these apparent dreams?

"Oh… well, sorry, I guess," she mumbled, but it fell on deaf ears because Cloudpaw already seemed to be well on his way back to sleep. Sighing softly, Gustpaw shut her eyes again and willed herself to go back to sleep, forgetting about the tom's warning to leave. It was just a dream.

Her eyes snapped open moments later and a sickening feeling that something was horribly wrong was churning in her stomach. Leaping to her feet, she looked around for Cloudpaw and Cinderpaw but they were gone. She rushed over to the Warrior's dip and it was empty. The nursery was empty. The elder's den was empty. Honeyblossom was nowhere to be seen inside the Medicine den. She even crept into Elmstar's den and it was filled with nothing but shadows.

"Where is everyone?" she wailed, rushing about camp in hysterics, begging StarClan, Elmstar, her sibling, _anyone_ to answer her. Nothing. Even the wind was still, and Gustpaw stood alone in the moon-dappled camp, searching for any sign of life.

"Now how's _that_ for scenery, huh?" this voice was female, a self-satisfied coo that made Gustpaw gasp, whipping around frantically in search of its owner.

"Right here, honey," the voice was right by Gustpaw and so was a black and white she-cat with golden eyes that reminded the apprentice vaguely of Ravenkit.

Gustpaw jumped at the cat's sudden appearance, springing backwards and sending a strong gale rippling in the strange cat's direction. She reeled backwards, less shocked than Gustpaw expected.

"That was an acci-"

The she-cat held up her tail for silence, "I know. Isn't it always?" she sighed, an emotion Gustpaw couldn't quite identity flashing across her face, "I'm Athena and I am far better at dreamwalking than Jolana, even if he was the first to do it successfully." She announced smugly, straightening herself out again after being almost blown over by Gustpaw's accidental outburst.

Gustpaw blinked, green eyes watching the black and white cat curiously, "what do you mean, 'isn't it always'? Can you…" she didn't want to finish the sentence, to speak the words out loud.

Athena snorted but did not reply, instead lifting a paw as if to lick it. But then she twitched an ear and it was on fire.

"What on-" Gustpaw scrambled backwards in clumsy retreat, watching in horror as the flames danced over the she-cat's raised paw. Athena watched the flames herself for a moment, expression blank, then she thumped the flaming paw on the ground once and the flames flared up, the heat of them shining in Athena's eyes, then she thumped again and they were gone.

"Can I manipulate the air? No. Can I manipulate fire?" she let out a short, sharp laugh that Gustpaw thought sounded almost bitter, "_yes."_

Gustpaw didn't know what to say to that. She could control wind, Athena fire. Did the tom Jolana she had met in her last dream have a similar ability? Were there more cats that could as well? Or maybe it was just another dream… but how could her mind possibly come up with _this_?

Athena interrupted her thoughts, "and I can do it in Dream State too, though that's usual. In Dream State you are everything you are in real life, possibly a little more," she winked, "but enough joking around and sharing horribly shocking powers, this is important. I know Jolana has already come to you in his feeble attempt to get you out of here but he wasn't doing a very good job. He never does."

Something brown flashed through the air and Athena was on the ground before Gustpaw had a chance to register anything had even happened. Jolana stood over the she-cat, breathing ragged and angry.

"Say that to my face," he snarled, stamping a paw against the ground and scraping his claws through the dirt until they hovered near Athena's throat. A vine spiralled its way out of the earth and tightened its self around the she-cat's neck. Jolana's dug his claws further into the earth, never once breaking eye contact with Athena, who stared right back with an equally hard expression, depite the fact she was struggling to breathe under the grip of the vine, which appeared to be tightening as Jolana rooted himself more firmly onto the ground.

The grass around the two cats burst into the flame and Gustpaw shrieked as the wall of fire seemed to engulf them both, the smoke shielding them from her. She yowled through the flames for them to stop but the words seemed to bounce uselessly of the screen of fire, and both the cats were fixed only on each other, lips curled back in snarls.

"Don't… try this in... D-dream State…" Athena choked through the vine constricting her throat, struggling to retain composure. Jolana curled his tail by his side to keep it away from the fire blazing all around him, shifting uncomfortably as the heat spread across his fur and the taste of smoke burned in his mouth.

He considered her words, eyes watering as the smoke filled his vision. He shut them, unable to withstand it any longer. His grip loosened on the earth and the vine disappeared into the ground as quickly as it had come. Athena lashed her tail and the fire faded into nothing, leaving only the last wisps of smoke to disappear into the air.

"I can get you take that lie back when we're awake, I suppose," Jolana huffed, releasing Athena and trotting a few tail-lengths away from her. Athena rolled her eyes and chuckled disbelievingly, and then both turned their eyes back to Gustpaw, who was watching them with her jaw hung open and eyes bigger than two green full moons.

"Shocked the Sylph, did we?" Athena laughed, all hostility leaving her eyes. Jolana glanced over at her, incredulous. There was that word again, Sylph. What did it mean?

"We're not here to mock her, Athena. We're to tell her where to go," he snapped, giving her a last cursory glare before turning to stare at Gustpaw again, who had only just realised her jaw had been hanging open in most ungracious manner and snapped it shut, trying her hardest to feign calmness. She was dreaming, she was witnessing everything in the safety of her mind when she could not get injured, yet the heat of that fire had felt so horribly real and so vividly _deadly_.

"Ooh, good elemental, bad elemental. I like it," Athena shot back, purring in amusement.

Gustpaw could see the sparks of anger rekindling in Jolana's eyes. "There's a reason why I tapped into your State, Athena. Well, two actually; first is that I knew you would do nothing but terrify the kit," Athena rolled her eyes again at that, "and second is because Kashti is coming to get her. _Right now_. We have to get her out before he does."

Athena didn't like that and neither did Gustpaw. "Kashti? As in that grey cat who attacked us the other day? He could never catch me. We have guards who will see him," she insisted. How could he possibly capture her without the Clan noticing? The thought would have comforted her, reminded her that in reality she was safely curled up with her siblings, yet the growing look of terror on Athena's face suggested the grey cat had a few unexpected tactics that could undermine her surety.

"We can't let him take her to that imaginary master of his. It will ruin everything. We have to get her out," Athena mewed, not hearing her words. In fact, she seemed to have forgotten she was in Gustpaw's dream at all, focusing all her attention on Jolana, who was shaking his head.

"We're too far and he's too close. The only hope is to wake her up and get her to alert her companions." Now he turned to Gustpaw, approaching her, "you have to wake up. Just close your eyes think about the real world, where you are, who's around you. Wake up."

So she tried. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought about the WindClan camp bathed in moonlight, with Cloudpaw and Cinderpaw curled up beside her, sleeping softly, their only movements the rise and fall of their chests in quiet breathing. She imagined the whisper of the wind through the grasses, Shadepool's mutter as he took over from Stormwhisker as night guard, the stars looking down from the velvet sky, sparkling like the eyes of a million warriors now hunting in StarClan. She imagined and imagined but nothing happened.

"She can't wake up. It's not because of our connection…" Athena trailed off, eyes widening. Jolana bowed his head solemnly.

"We're too late. They've fed her that knock-out stuff," he turned his attention back to Gustpaw, who had opened her eyes again to the scene of the empty camp, with the two strangers still standing in front of her. _Too late._ What was happening? It couldn't be too late. The night guard would save her. She'd wake up when Cloudpaw prodded her, telling her to hurry because they had to train. Just like every day. It was just another bad dream. She'll probably have forgotten it by morning, right?

"You're going to be here a while. I've got to go and tell the other two," he sighed reluctantly then looked at Athena, "I can't believe I'm trusting you with this, but I think it would be a good idea if you stayed in Dream State with the Sylph and told her what is going on. She needs to be prepared when she wakes up."

Athena answered his sigh with one of her own, "fine, leave me to deal with the stupid wind-maker. I'll tell her _everything._" Jolana groaned, mouthed 'I'm sorry' in Gustpaw's direction and vanished before either of the remaining cats could argue.

Gustpaw turned slowly to the black and white she-cat, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. She was inside her own dream, she told herself, therefore she was safe inside her head, unable to be harmed. But she was not concerned about being injured. She was worried about what these 'details' were that Athena was supposed to share with her. And no amount of telling herself she was dreaming could save her from hearing them.

"Alright then soul-stealer, get comfy; I'm going to tell you a most fascinating story. It's the story of why you need to die."

**Yeah I don't even know either. This was actually supposed to take two chapters to get happen but oops my fingers slipped? I just want to get this done and I know that should be an excuse to half-ass it but it's late and I'm tired and I want this posted up before I sleep. So you have yourself a poorly edited, confusing… thing. You're welcome?**


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